The 248 billion Yuan (CHF 36 billion) railway development project should be completed by 2020 and is expected to cut the three-hour trip from Beijing to Tianjin down to just half an hour.

The massive infrastructure project, which was approved by Chinese authorities on Monday, is part of a plan to integrate Beijing, Tianjin and cities in Hebei province into the Jing-Jin-Ji megacity, according to an article in the Daily Caller.

The Jing-Jin-Ji megacity will encompass around 110 million people and cover an area of over 212,000 square kilometres, or more than twice the size of South Korea. By the time the project is completed in 2030, the population could reach 130 million.

The megacity will combine Beijing’s economic and research resources, Tianjin’s port connections and Hebei’s technological developments, explains the article.

China is currently constructing a second megacity project in the southern part of the country. Covering nine cities, the project will serve 57 million people.