China plans to spend 20 billion yuan (about US$2.5 billion) in the coming three years to foster railway construction in the northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the regional railway authorities has said.

Meanwhile, the central government will inspire nationwide businesses to invest in railway construction in the region, where local input on railways totaled less than five billion yuan (US$617 million) in the past 30 years.

At least 2,500 kilometers of railways are under construction in Inner Mongolia to link the autonomous region with the city of Zhangjiakou in Hebei Province, Shenmu County in Shaanxi Province and Datong in Shanxi Province.

For example, a 177-km-long electrified railway extending from the city of Ji'ning in Inner Mongolia to Zhangjiakou is expected to shorten the travel distance between the regional capital Hohhot and Beijing by 125 kilometers.

Most new railways are being built to ease Inner Mongolia's pressure in coal transport. Upon their completion, they will connect Inner Mongolia with major ports including Tianjin and Qinhuangdao.

Inner Mongolia, one of China's main pastoral areas, has 223.4 billion tons of coal reserves, 22.3 percent of China's total. There are six large coalfields in the region, each with 10 billion tons of proven reserves.

(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2006)