On January 4, Hebei Province-based major Chinese steel producer Hebei Iron and Steel Group announced that it has signed a contract with China Railway Material Group Southwest Co., Ltd for the supply of 200,000 mt of steel in the coming four years for lines 7 and 9 of the metro system in Shenzhen in China's Guangdong Province. The steel grades to be supplied will include HRB335E, HRB400E and HPB300. Lines 7 and 9 of the Shenzhen metro, which will be 30.173 km and 25 km in length respectively, are expected to be completed by the end of 2016.