(Yicai Global) March 13 -- China's eastern province of Shandong aims to improve its connectivity with other major Chinese cities by kicking off high-speed railway projects, as well as a study to start using the northern parts of the earliest and longest man-made canal in the world.

Shandong will invest CNY162.2 billion (USD24.2 billion) this year to enhance its transportation infrastructure, which includes a study regarding an upgrade of a section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in order to open it for ships, the regional government said in a press conference yesterday. 

The province will start two high-speed railway projects this year to reduce travel time from the coastal city of Rizhao to Beijing to three hours, and that to Shanghai down to four hours. The administrative region will also make efforts to begin building five other high-speed railway routes, and complete seven highway projects among its 27 ongoing ones. 

The Grand Canal has economic potential for tourism, according to the government. The oldest parts of the waterway date back to over 2,500 years ago. Today, only parts that are located south of the Yellow River, covering the three provinces of Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, are available for transport, due to insufficient water. 

Shandong aims to link up with 14 major cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin, and cut travel time to three hours. The province also wants to connect with the world's major cities via a maximum of 12 hours of flight by 2035.

Editor: Emmi Laine