The construction of a new railway linking Chengdu and Dujiangyan, two earthquake-battered cities in southwest China's Sichuan Province, will kick off within the year, the Ministry of Railways sources said on Wednesday.

According to an agreement signed by the ministry and the municipal government of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, the jointly-funded railway project, the first large project in the two cities after the massive May 12 earthquake, will connect Dujiangyan City and Chengdu's metro system.

The project will boost the confidence of the people in the quake-hit areas in rebuilding their homes, the sources said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 29, 2008)