Workers began construction of a 14.4-km tram track in Guangzhou's Huangpu district on Tuesday.

Tram Line 1, which is slated to enter service in 2020, will run west to east from Xiangxue to Yonghe and include 19 stops. The entire journey should take 30 minutes.

Chen Xiaohua, deputy Party chief of Huangpu, said the project is part of the district's efforts to construct an environmentally friendly transportation network.

Huangpu, which includes Guangzhou Development District and Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, is part of a high-tech production base.

The district plans to prioritize development in IT, artificial intelligence and biopharmaceuticals, according to Chen, who is also deputy head of Guangzhou Development District.

Located in the eastern part of Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, Huangpu is linked to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, major ports and major cities throughout the Pearl River Delta via expressways and light railway networks.