A train pulls into a station in Luoyang city, Henan province, June 30, 2015. [Photo / IC]

BEIJING - China's top economic planner has approved two transport projects that will cost a combined 54.69 billion yuan ($8.35 billion).

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has approved the construction of a rail line from Taiyuan in Shanxi Province to Jiaozuo in Henan Province, according to a statement on its website.

The total length of the rail line is 362 km at an cost of 43.13 billion yuan. The project is expected to take four and a half years to complete.

The agency has also given permission for the construction of new highways in Northeast China's Jilin province to bolster the region's flagging economy.