Summary：The city of Shijiazhuang, a three-hour drive from Beijing, received some long-awaited news on Sept 5.

Critics worry dozens of approved urban rail projects are unfeasible

The city of Shijiazhuang, a three-hour drive from Beijing, received some long-awaited news on Sept 5. The city, capital of North China's Hebei province, got the go-ahead to build its first subway from the National Development and Reform Commission, or NDRC, China's top economic planning agency.

"Subway construction has far-reaching significance for Shijiazhuang," said Jiang Deguo, the city's mayor. "It will help complete the city's transportation system."

Shijiazhuang residents have long desired a subway system because rush-hour congestion has made life miserable. Alongside the expansion of Chinese cities and urban population growth, transportation infrastructure has been deteriorating in a number of cities, and subway construction is widely perceived as a panacea.

Shijiazhuang was not the only city to welcome news from the NDRC. On Sept 5, the agency announced on its website the approval of plans and feasibility reports for 25 urban rail projects in cities including Taiyuan, Lanzhou, Guangzhou and Xiamen. The projects will cost more than 800 billion yuan ($126.88 billion).