Chongqing mayor Huang Qifan chaired a government meeting recently that approved the city’s rail construction plan for the 12th five-year period (2011-15). According to the plan, an additional 980km of track will be built, allowing the completion of seven major lines connecting Chongqing to Chengdu, Lanzhou, Xian, Shanghai, Changsha, Guangzhou and Guiyang, costing Rmb150bn in total. By the time these lines are completed, the rail journey time between Chongqing and Shanghai will be reduced to eight hours.