Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, is set to join the Shanghai commuter belt with a planned magnetic levitation (maglev) railway.

The proposed high-speed connection will also open up Hangzhou as an accommodation center for visitors to the Shanghai World Expo2010.

"The maglev railway will shorten the distance between us," said Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng when signing an agreement to boost economic ties and exchanges with Hangzhou on Tuesday.

Shanghai, as host of the World Expo, will facilitate Hangzhou's participation in the event, while the scenic neighbor will draw visitors with its attractions, including the famous West Lake.

The maglev journey between the two cities would be just 27 minutes compared to the current average 140-minute rail journey, said a Shanghai official.

Shanghai was expecting more than 70 million visitors during the expo, the official said.

Construction on the 175-km maglev line is expected to start by the end of this year and the service should begin operation before 2010.

Maglev trains operate on the principle of a magnetized train that floats on a magnetic field and is propelled by a linear induction motor. Maglev trains travel extremely fast because there is no friction.

The total cost of the project is estimated at 35 billion yuan (US$4.3 billion). The trains will be capable of traveling at 450 km per hour, but will be limited to under 200 km per hour in downtown areas.

This will be the second of its kind in the country after the Shanghai-based Pudong Airport link.

(Xinhua News Agency April 12, 2006)