OREANDA-NEWS. July 18, 2012. Six express rail lines will be built in Ma'anshan, Anhui province, according to an urban rail transit program.

The planning aims to cover the city which spans the Yangtze River, the longest river in China, with subways and at the same time, connect it with its neighbouring cities - Hefei, capital city of Anhui, Wuhu, the province's second largest economy, and Nanjing, Jiangsu province's capital - with intercity express rails, the Ma'anshan Urban Planning Bureau said.

The planned Line 1, 4 and 6 will join the S2, S1 and S3 in Nanjing's rail transit system, respectively, linking Bowang of Ma'anshan with Nanjing Lukou Airport, downtown Ma'anshan with Binjiang of Nanjing, and Hexian, a county under the jurisdiction of Ma'anshan, with Qiaolin of Nanjing.

The blueprint for rail transit network of Wuhu hasn't come out, however, urban planning authorities in Ma'anshan have taken it into account when mapping out the metro construction program, allowing enough room for convergent sections.

The subways in the west of Ma'anshan will run as far as the Economic Development Zone of Wuhu, while eastern metro routes will connect with Wuhu Jiujiang Economic Development Zone.

Also, it will be a one-hour ride from Ma'anshan to the capital Hefei, once the rail transit system of Ma'anshan meets the express rail route linking Yangzhou, Ma'anshan and Chaohu, which joins the Chaohu - Hefei intercity rail, the bureau said.