THE 129.5-kilometre Jiangmen section of Shenzhen-Maoming Railway in western coastal regions of Guangdong through two districts and three cities including Jianghai, Xinhui, Taishan, Kaiping and Enping have won approval, according to an officer from Guangdong Jiangmen Development and Reform Bureau, reports Xinhua. 
The approval also was given to a plan to set up five stations of southern Jiangmen, Shuangshui, Taishan, Kaiping and Enping, at a cost of CNY15.2 billion (US$2.45 billion), said the report. 
The Shenzhen-Maoming Railway is expected to start construction at the end of the year with a full length of 387 kilometres and a collective investment of about CNY59.3 billion. According to the plan, its designed speed is 200 kilometres per hour and construction is to be completed by 2017. 
The Shenzhen-Jiangmen section will be a passenger dedicated line while Jiangmen-Maoming section will focus on passenger transport along with fast freight and regular express trains. 
The Shenzhen-Maoming Railway is an important part of the coastal railway of Shanghai, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Maoming, Zhanjiang line and a main route linking Pearl River Delta and the western regions of Guangdong, Beibu Gulf area of Guangxi and Hainan province. 
Once completed, the travel time from Jiangmen to Maoming will be reduced to two hours from four hours and only one hour from Jiangmen to Shenzhen.