China will finish building 5,000 kilometers of high-speed railways in the mainland's southern area by 2012 to speed up its economic integration with Hong Kong and Macao, the China Daily reported, citing Lu Dongfu, vice minister of the Ministry of Railways, as saying.

The rail tracks, to be laid in the sprawling pan-Pearl Delta region which includes eight provinces and an ethnic autonomous region of the mainland, will account for nearly 40% of the country's total in the coming three years. The pan-Pearl River Delta covers southern coastal provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, inland provinces of Jiangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, as well as Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions.

Another 5,000 kilometers will be completed in the region from 2012 to 2015, said Lu.

Lu noted the railway system played a key role in the region's economic boom. In 2009, the railway system transported 386 million passengers and 521 million tons of goods, up 28.7% and 7.4% respectively compared with the figures in 2004.

After the additional high-speed railways are put into service, the railway transport will be faster, safer and more comfortable, said Lu.