On Jan. 23, reporter learned that National Development and Reform Commissionhas approved theJiqing High-speed Rail project which will be officially started in March and the construction period will be 4 years. The rail is expected to be put into use in 2019.

According to statistics, Jiaoji Railway which undertakes the passenger transport between Qingdao and Jinan reached a passenger flow of 18.97 million people in 2012. It is estimated that the figure will reach 41 million in 2030. However, the speed of the train is below 200 kilometers per hour and there are only 60 trains for passenger transport. It will take 2.5 hours at least from Jinan to Qingdao at this speed. It can’t meet the needs of citizens and the development of economic society, in this way, the construction of Jinan High-speed Rail is put on the agenda.

The construction period of the project is 4 years with a total investment of approximately 59.98 billion yuan and the railway will be opened to traffic in 2019. It will only take 1 hour from Jinan to Qingdao and about 2 hours to Yantai, Rizhao and Weihai.