China will increase investment in rail infrastructure to US$730 billion by 2020 in order to help boost domestic economic activity, the South China Morning Post reported. The plan would expand China’s rail network by 41,000 kilometers by 2020, and is an extension of existing plans to spend US$102 billion on rail in the next year. Officials say construction will help to create 6 million jobs, and the completed lines will alleviate transport bottlenecks and boost domestic demand. Spending on rail infrastructure is a major component of Beijing’s US$586 billion stimulus package announced in November.
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