A high-speed railway line connecting Beijing and Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning province, may start construction in July, according to sources quoted by China Knowledge.

Trains will be able to travel at speeds of up to 350 kph, shortening the trip between the two cities from nearly four hours to two-and-a-half hours.

By the end of 2012, China is expected to have 13,000km of high-speed rail, up from around 3,300km today, according to the Ministry of Railways.