The new rails, dubbed the Western Ring Railway, is planned to link up with the Eastern Ring Railway, which started operation a year ago, and form a circuit around the island.
Construction at the first section of the new Western Ring, which links up with the
However, for the rest of the sections, construction may begin in the latter half of 2012, according to a statement issued Wednesday at a meeting held by the Ministry of Railways and
The Western Ring, which is expected to cost 27.1 billion yuan ($4.3 billion) and require four years, will stretch 344 kilometers and pass 12 stations along the island's western coast.
Trains will travel at a maximum speed of 250 km per hour.
High-speed rails have greatly boosted tourism in
According to Jiang, nearly 10 million tourists have traveled by the Eastern Ring since it started operation in December 2010.
The 308-kilometer railway links the capital