Xie Ming, mayor of Taicang, Jiangsu province, revealed the plan on Sunday at a forum to increase cooperation in the delta region of Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, the Shanghai Morning Post reported on Monday.

Taicang is an industrial base in Jiangsu and the closest port to the sea on the Yangtze River.

He said the plan had already received positive responses from the Jiangsu provincial development and reform commission.

Taicang has also discussed the plan with relevant Shanghai departments and reached agreements with the development and reform department of the Jiading district government.

An official in the secretary department of Taicang government surnamed Wang confirmed the plan, but refused to provide more details.

A source with Shanghai's urban planning bureau said that no such plan had been approved.

Nevertheless, under the proposal, Shanghai's No 11 metro line would be extended to Taicang.

Construction began on No 11 line, which connects the financial center Pudong and the Formula 1 racing court in the rural district of Jiading, in March last year and will be completed before the 2010 World Expo.

The line will be extended 13.5 km and ultimately terminate in the town of Ludu at Taicang if the extension goes ahead.

Xie said at the forum that Taicang had planned to allocate more than 2 million sq m of land in order to build a subway terminal and a parking lot.

As one of the many plans unveiled in recent years to improve transportation in the delta region, the fast link will enable residents of both cities to travel easily and enjoy the facilities of the two cities.

Plans to provide fast transport links to the Yangtze River Delta region have been released in recent years, with highways, high-speed rail and bridges all currently under construction.

Overall plans aim to reduce travel time between any two places in the Yangtze River Delta to no more than two hours.