A groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday marked the first formal step in the planned construction of China’s first cross-province metro line to connect Shanghai’s Metro Line 11 to the Huaqiao International Service Business Park in neighboring Jiangsu province.

Construction is expected to begin in March 2011 on the six-kilometer expansion of the metro line to Huaqiao town in Kunshan, a city in East China’s Jiangsu province. The line will cost an estimated 1.7 billion yuan ($255 million) and is scheduled to open in December 2012.

The new section will begin at Shanghai’s Anting Station and end at Kunshan’s Huaqiao Station. The new line will include three elevated stations, and calls for the addition of six trains.

The construction project was approved by the National Development and Reform Committee on Sept 30. It sets a precedent for future domestic cross-province rail transit projects, and authorities said it also will boost economic partnerships between Jiangsu and Shanghai. The line will promote integration of transportation system in the Yangtze River Delta region, as well.

Huaqiao International Service Business Park is located in an eastern section of Jiangsu province, less than 400 meters from Shanghai’s Anting Station on a section of Line 11 that began service in May.

As Jiangsu’s sole development zone for the modern service industry, the park is promoting development of four industries: service outsourcing, business headquarters, logistics exhibitions and business services.

The park is seeking to become a back-up base for the Shanghai International Financial Center. After four years of development, Huaqiao International Service Business Park has completed fixed investments totaling 20 billion yuan and introduced more than 350 service projects, including about 150 large-scale projects. Total investment exceeds 50 billion yuan.

Financial service outsourcing companies that have established offices there include France-based CapGemini, Longtop Group, Camelot, China Data Group, Jiangsu Yuanyang Data Processing Co, Central Data System, NSK and Kingboard Chemical Holdings Ltd.

The park has been named one of China’s "top 10 service outsourcing parks", a "best investment value" among China's business development zones, and a "best investment value" among China's service outsourcing parks.

By Yang Feiyue