Construction workers have started construction on a new railway linking Changchun, an automobile-making city in northeast China, with Mount Changbai, a popular summer mountainous resort in the region.

Information from Jilin Provincial Government said that the new railway project is jointly financed by the Chinese Ministry of Railways and Jilin Province at a budget of 809 million yuan (about 99.75 million US dollars).

The new railway, which took 15 years for planning and preparation, is designed to have a length of 93.77 km and six stops, said the information.

In accordance with the arrangement of the Ministry of Railways, construction workers are supposed to complete a range of tasks, including relocation and land acquisition, infrastructure such as bridges and tunnels and roadbeds, at a cost of 450 million yuan (about 55.49 million US dollars).

The new railway, which will start from Changchun, capital of Jilin Province, and end at Yantongshan, also in Jilin, will be joined by two other existing railways. It will take 20 months to finish.

On completion of the new railway, the time needed for traveling to Mount Changbai will be enormously shortened, according to a local government official.

(Xinhua News Agency September 12, 2005)