SHANGHAI - China has approved a 247 billion yuan railway plan to improve transport links between the capital Beijing, the port city of Tianjin, and the neighbouring province of Hebei, part of plans to integrate the three areas into a mega-city.

The National Development and Reform Commission said in a online statement on Monday that the plan will span nine projects that total 1,100 kms (683 miles) long. The projects will be built over the years up to 2030, it said.

The current population of the three areas is estimated at around 110 million, and by the time it's complete, the so-called Jing-Jin-Ji project will span 212,000 square kilometres (82,000 square miles), or more than twice the size of South Korea.