A special train will be launched to the site of the international flower and gardening exposition in northeast China's Liaoning Province, announced the preparatory office of the expo Wednesday.

Construction on the new railway station has started in the Qipanshan scenic zone, where the expo will be held. It is 25 kilometers from the city proper of Shenyang, capital city of Liaoning Province.

The project will cost 20 million yuan (2.5 million U.S. dollars) and is expected to be completed on April 1. On May 1, the opening day of the expo, it will be put into use.

According to the project plan, the Qipanshan Railway Station will be built 800 meters west to the major entrance of the exposition. It is a two-storied structure, with 3,000 square meters of floor space.

During the expo, 25 pairs of special trains will run between the downtown area and the expo site at an interval of 15 minutes every day. The daily passenger trips via the station are expected to reach 270,000, according to sources with the preparatory office.

The Shenyang International Flower and Gardening Exposition 2006 is scheduled for 180 days from May 1 to Oct. 31. It will be the largest yet and cover a total of 2.46 square kilometers.

(Xinhua News Agency China.org.cn February 9, 2006)