China will build more railways in the Pan Pearl River Delta (PPRD) in a bid to boost the economy and improve ties between the region and neighboring nations, said a senior government official on Wednesday.

Wang Zhiguo, vice minister of the Ministry of Railways (MOR), said a total of 11,000-km of new railways would be built as of 2012 in the PPRD, bring the total length to 30,000 km. By the end of 2020, the goal is to have 44,000 km of railways in the region.

Wang didn't mention the total investment for the project.

The PPRD plays an important role in the development of the national economy and it's a key area for railway development, Wang said at the 5th PPRD Development Forum and Trade Fair in Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

From 2004 to 2008, the PPRD's investment in railway construction totaled 241.5 billion yuan (US$35.36 billion), or 29.7 percent of the total nationwide investment for the same period. The money was used to construct 908 km of new railways, 277 km of double-track lines and 1220.4 km of electric lines.

Wang said, currently the network needed further expansion to meet the need of economic and social development, especially the main lines.

He said the country was pushing forward construction of lines reaching into the PPRD's neighboring nations including Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. The lines would help boost trade between China and Southeast Asian countries.

To counter global economic downturn, China rolled out a four-trillion-yuan stimulus package.

Roughly 1.5 trillion yuan, the biggest share, will go to infrastructure construction covering railways, roads, airports, urban power grids and irrigation projects.

(Xinhua News Agency June 11, 2009)