(Yicai Global) Nov. 27 -- Tianjin, one of China's largest cities, will invest in an intercity railroad to connect with Chengde city in northern Hebei province, part of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Economic Zone currently being pushed by China, the Tianjin Municipal Information Office said on social media, adding that construction will begin by 2020.

Chengde is a well-known tourist destination more than 300 kilometers by road from Tianjin. A journey between the two cities currently takes about four hours by car or six by rail, but that will be cut to just one hour with the new rail link in place.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang put forward plans to integrate the Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei regions back in 2014 in a bid to strengthen cooperation with the Bohai Economic Rim. The city cluster in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei is based on the concept of an industrial base and includes Beijing, Tianjin and 11 prefecture-level cities in Hebei province. The total population of the region is around 90 million people.