Rail lines to foster regional integration

Three new rail lines will be opened this year, in the municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin and Hebei province, to improve regional integration and development, an official from the Beijing railway authority said.

One of the three new lines will extend the current line between Beijing and downtown Tianjin to the Tianjin Binhai New Area to the east, said Zhu Huigang, deputy director of the Beijing Railway Bureau, adding that it will begin operation in September.

"The route is also expected to extend to Tianjin's new airport, so residents will be able take a train to catch a flight," Zhu said.