The World Bank has approved loans to two important transport projects in China. The first is a US$3000 loan that supports the GuiGuang Railway Project and the second is a US$150m to the Hubei Yiba Highway Project.

The GuiGuang Railway Project involves the construction of an 857km electrified railway line between Guiyang in Guizhou province and Guangzhou in Guangdong province, providing for the first time a direct connection between some of the poorest areas of China and the more developed Pearl River delta region. The new line will operate passenger and freight trains at speeds of up to 200 and 120 kph respectively. Upon completion of the project, travel time for rail passengers between Guiyang and Guangzhou will drop from the current 24 hours to just five hours. For freight, the distance travelled between the two cities will be reduced from the current 1,440km to 820km. The new railway line will also provide a more efficient and lower cost rail transport access to Guangzhou and Shenzhen for passengers and freight to and from the western provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan. The total cost of the project is US$12.5bn.

The Hubei Yiba Highway Project includes the construction of an expressway, running along the northern bank of the Yangtze River from Yichang to Badong in Hubei province in central China. This is part of the national trunk expressway network connecting the country’s eastern and western regions.