Jinan, capital of East China's Shandong province, is accelerating the construction of high speed railways to promote its transportation to northwest and southwest China.

The Jinan-Zaozhuang railway will start construction in the first half of this year. By connecting the Yangtze River area and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, it will play an important role in improving and accelerating the development of the Shandong railway network. 

The Jinan-Zhengzhou railway from Jinan to Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, is currently under construction and is expected to open to the public by 2023. After construction, the travel time from Jinan to Zhengzhou will be cut two hours to around 90 minutes.

The line will strengthen links between cities in central China and Shandong Peninsula. It will also connect the cities of Jinan, Zhengzhou, Xi'an, Yinchuan, Taiyuan, and Shijiazhuang, helping form a line encircling the Yellow River basin.