Beijing is planning to build the first fast rail transit line that will go through neighboring Hebei Province, stopping at heavily populated Yanjiao and Sanhe counties in Hebei, reports The Beijing Morning Post on Tuesday.
The 72-kilometer Pinggu line will connect Beijing's Chaoyang District with the suburban Pinggu District. 22 km of the line will go through Hebei, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.
With the line, people who live in Yanjiao and Sanhe of Hebei will benefit from an easier commute into the city. Many have chosen to live in Hebei because the low cost of rent and living but they face long travel times to work everyday.
The Pinggu line is part of a project to build 1,000 kilometers of fast rail transit lines linking Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei.
Trains running on these lines can reach 160 km per hour, compared to the average 35 km per hour of Beijing's subways.
Zhou Zhengyu, director of the commission, said transportation is important to the integrated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei.
The government has unveiled a series of measures to coordinate the development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. An investment company has been established to support the construction of inter-city railways and rail transit lines in this region.
