Two Chinese high-speed railways with trains running at 350 kilometers (km) per hour are making important progress in construction.
The first station on the Xi’an-Ankang High-Speed Railway has its main structure construction completed, and the Xi’an-Shiyan High-Speed Railway has achieved a phased progress with the successful breakthrough of the Tianzhushan No 2 tunnel in Shanyang county, Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, China Media Group reported on Sunday.
The main structure construction of Zhen’an West Station’s station building in Zhen’an county in Shaanxi Province was recently completed, marking the first station on the Xi’an-Ankang High-speed Railway finishing the main structure construction. The station has 2 platforms and 4 tracks, and its main building covers an area of approximately 4,000 square meters.
The newly constructed main line for the Xi’an-Ankang High-speed Railway spans 171 kilometers. The route is an important component of the Beijing–Kunming Corridor and Baotou (Yinchuan) – Haikou Corridor, parts of China’s high-speed rail network that consists of eight vertical lines linking the country’s north and south and eight horizontal lines connecting the east and west.
After the completion of the Xi’an-Ankang High-speed Railway, travel time between Xi’an and Ankang in Shaanxi will be shortened from three hours to less than an hour, which will play a vital role in supporting rural revitalization and promoting the economic and social development of the surrounding areas.
In addition, the Tianzhushan No 2 tunnel on the Xi’an-Shiyan High-Speed Railway achieved a breakthrough on January 9. The tunnel is 4,118 meters long with great challenges in construction. Advanced information technology and machinery have been used to enhance the efficiency of the tunnel construction.
The Xi’an-Shiyan High-Speed Railway features a newly constructed 256-kilometer main line. The travel time from Xi’an to Shiyan in Central China’s Hubei Province will be reduced to within 1 hour, and the fastest travel time from Xi’an to Wuhan in Hubei Province will be shortened from 5 hours by half after the railway’s launch.
The opening of the route will link Shaanxi with the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta closer, and enhance connectivity between the Guanzhong cluster of cities with the middle Yangtze River region. The closer connection has significant meaning in promoting the economy of Central China, while assists the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
China has been ramping up regional connectivity with its signature high-speed railway network.
A new high-speed railway began operations on December 26, enhancing the rail network connecting major cities in east China’s Yangtze River Delta Region, a major economic powerhouse of the country, the Xinhua News Agency reported. With a designed speed of 350 km per hour and eight stations, the Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou High-Speed Railway, spanning 164 km, links Shanghai Hongqiao Station with Suzhou in East China’s Jiangsu Province and Huzhou City in Zhejiang Province.
And, a prototype of the CR450 bullet train that will run at 400 km per hour debuted in Beijing in December. The CR450 is capable of running at 450 kilometers per hour in tests, according to another Xinhua report.
GT
