China approves $17b in new railway projects

The Chinese National Development and Reform Commission has approved plans for three rail projects that will run through the Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, Jiangsu, and Hubei provinces, according to Reuters.    The Chinese National Development and Reform Commission has approved plans for three rail projects with a total estimated cost of 109.3 billion yuan (U.S. $17.2 billion), according to reports from news service Reuters.
   The largest of these railway project includes construction of tracks in the Hubei province in Central China for approximately 52.75 billion yuan.
   Another involves running rail through the eastern province of Jiangsu at a cost of 42.83 billion yuan, while the third will connect the Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces in Southwestern China for 13.76 billion yuan.
   The NDRC said in a statement it will carry out feasibility studies for each of the three projects.
   China has approved billions of dollars in infrastructure projects in recent months as part of an effort to limit the effects of its recent economic slowdown, according to Reuters, focusing heavily on projects in the less-developed western part of the country.