North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region will get five new railways in 2020, authorities said.

The railways will link the region with Shanxi province, Ningxia Hui autonomous region and Hebei province.

By linking with existing railways, the new rail routes will connect Inner Mongolia with the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta and China's southwestern areas.

Inner Mongolia has more than 14,000 km of railway, almost nine times that of 1978.

China plans to expand its high-speed railway network, already the world's biggest, by adding 2,000 km of new lines in 2020, according to the country's railway operator.