XINING, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- The construction of a railway linking two important western Chinese cities of Xining and Chengdu started Monday in Xining, capital of northwest China's Qinghai Province.

The 836.5-km railroad, with an investment of 81.49 billion yuan (about 12 billion U.S. dollars), is slated to be completed in seven-and-a-half years. A 334-km stretch of the railroad's total length will rely on two existing railway sections.

The journey between the two cities through Gansu Province, including 19 stops, will be shortened to about 4.5 hours, with a designated speed of 200 km per hour and a top speed of 250 km per hour.

After completion, the new railway will further enhance the rail network in western China and beef up connectivity between Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan. Enditem