(Yicai Global) March 27 -- The Third-phase urban rail project design and construction plan for Hefei, the capital of east China's Anhui province, got the seal of approval from China's state planner yesterday. 

With a total length of some 110 kilometers, the project's six lines of track will come at a cost of CNY79.8 billion (USD11.3 billion), per the approval. Groundbreaking will start this year and wrap up in 2025.

This is the second go-ahead for a city rail transit project the country's National Development and Reform Commission has granted this year.

The scheme envisages that Hefei, a booming second-tier city home to 8 million-odd residents which is soon to be the new home of electric vehicle maker Nio, will have nine lines snaking over 436-plus kilometers by 2030, with one dedicated airport line.

The NDRC also gave the green light last month to the second-stage light rail project in Xuzhou in eastern Jiangsu province, another up-and-coming second-tier metropolis with a population of almost 9 million, with total investment of CNY53.6 billion.

Editor: Ben Armour