SHANGHAI (REUTERS) - China has approved plans for a 58.41 billion yuan (S$12.9 billion) high-speed rail project which will be used during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, a local government said on Monday (Nov 2).

The 174km-long railway, which will connect Beijing with the northern city of Zhangjiakou in Hebei province, will be constructed over a 4-1/2-year period and will be able to ferry 60 million people annually, according to the post on the Zhangjiakou Development and Reform Commission's website.

Beijing beat Kazakhstan's Almaty in July to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, making it the first city to be awarded both the summer and winter Games.