Guangzhou - Zhanjiang high-speed line opens

THE 350km/h Guangzhou - Zhanjiang high-speed line in southern China opened for passenger services on December 22. The 401km line links regional megalopolis Guangzhou with the port city of Zhanjiang in southwest Guangdong province. There are stations at Guangzhou Baiyun, Foshan, Foqing, Xinxing South, Yangchun East, Yangjiang North, Mata, Maoming South, Wuchuan, and Zhanjiang North.

Initially 32 pairs of services are operating on the line daily, with the fastest non-stop service taking 1hr 32min and the slowest, which calls at five intermediate stations, taking 2h 17 min. Prices for a single journey are Yuan 280 ($US 39.84) in second class, Yuan 421 in first, and Yuan 922 in business.

Elsewhere in Guangdong province, the 19.8km Shantou - Shantou South section of the Shantou - Shanwei high-speed line opened on December 22. This is the final section of the 162km Shantou - Shanwei line to begin operation, extending service to new stations at Shantou, Jieyang and Shanwei. The fastest journey between Shenzhen and Shantou is now 1h 39min, while the trip from Guangzhou to Shantou takes 1h 50min.

The new section features the 9.78m Shantou Bay Subsea Tunnel, the world’s first single bore double-track tunnel designed for 350km/h operation.

Xi'an - Yan'an high-speed line

The299.8km Xi’an - Yan’an high-speed line in Shaanxi province opened on December 26, providing the first high speed link between these two centres of great national historical importance and tourism hot-spots in northwest China.

There are 11 stations on the 250km/h line, at Xi’an North, Gaoling, Fupingnan, Tongchuan, Tongchuan North, Luochuan, Fuxian North, Ganquan North, and Yan’an. The fastest, non-stop service takes 1hr 8min, and costs Yuan 156 in second class, Yuan 248 in first and Yuan 544 in business class. There are currently 18 pairs of services per day.  

Hangzhou - Quzhou high-speed line

The 131km Jiande - Quzhou section of the 350km/h Hangzhou-Quzhou high-speed line opened on December 26. The 350km/h line serves stations at Jiande, Jiande South, Longyou North, Quzhou West, and Jiangshan.

The new line runs parallel with the Hangzhou - Quzhou section of the Shanghai - Kunming high-speed line. The fastest journey time between Hangzhou and Quhzou is 1h 13min.

Construction of the line started in May 2020. The line includes 38 tunnels and 119 bridges, which account for 79% of its total length. This includes a 686m-long bridge over the Jinqian Railway.

Baotou - Yinchuan high-speed line

The final 422km Baotou - Huinong section of the 519km Baotou - Yinchuan line in Inner Mongolia opened on December 23. The line serves stations at Baotou, Baiyanhua West, Wulate Qianqi, Wuyuan, Bayannur, Dengkou, Jianguai, Wuhai, Wuhai South, and Huinong South, from where services can continue to Yinchuan on the already-operational southern section of the line which opened in October 2024.

Hefei - Xinyi high-speed line

The new 350km/h Hefei - Sixian East section of the 324km Hefei - Xinyi high-speed line in Anhui province opened on December 30. The line is offering an end-to-end journey time of 1h 8min, serving six stations at Hefei West, Badouling, Dingyuan East, Mingguang West, Wuhe, and Sixian East. Seven pairs of services operate each day on the line, with tickets costing Yuan 100 for second class and Yuan 159 for first. 

Bomi - Ranwu railway in Tibet        

Construction of the 134.5km Bomi - Ranwu line in Tibet is set to commence imminently following the announcement of the contractors for the project in mid-December. China Railway Fourth Bureau, China Communications Second Highway Bureau, China Railway 20th Bureau, and China Railway Electrification Bureau will build the 160km/h line. Work will include 42km of tunnels. Track work will take place under a separate contract.

Seven new stations will be built, with five stations to open initially alongside the existing Bomi station. The work includes a 2.26km access line at Bomi, and further connecting lines totalling 3.7km. On completion, the line will have capacity for 5 million tonnes of freight per year while 15 pairs of passenger services will operate on the line daily. Construction of the line was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in May and is expected to cost of Yuan 22.28bn.

Yichang - Changde high-speed line

The 250km/h Yichang - Changde high-speed line will connect Hunan and Hubei provinces and will be an important part of the Hunan - Guangdong corridor.

Construction of the 184.7km line with seven stations is expected to take four years and cost Yuan 32.4bn, with 14.17% funded by the China State Railway Group, 31.13% by Hubei Province, 24.70% by Hunan Province, and 30% through bank loans. The line was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in January.

Guangzhou East - Xintang expansion project in South China

The Guangzhou East - Xintang fifth and sixth-line project in Guangzhou will provide extra capacity on the existing route between the two centres in Guangdong province. Construction is scheduled to take five-and-a-half years.

New lines in Anhui province

The 380km east-west Nanyang - Hefei high-speed line in Henan and Anhui provinces is due to start construction soon, at an approved cost of Yuan 58.8bn. A branch of the 350km/h line will connect with the 250km/h, 169km Lu'an - Anqing railway in Anhui Province, construction of which is also scheduled to start before the end of the year.

Upgrades to lines in Shandong province

Track doubling of three sections of the single-track, electrified line from Jiaozhou in Shandong province to Xinyi in northern Jiangsu province will begin on December 31. The 100km/h line has been operating for almost 20 years and the upgrade is scheduled for completion in June 2028.

Work on the first 86.3km section from Jiaozhou to Wulian via Qingdao and Rizhao will cost Yuan 6.7bn. As well as track doubling, work includes building a new connecting line to Zhilanzhuang and renovating five stations.

Preliminary work has already started on the second 133.5km section from Wulian to Meijiabu. Many stations on the route are being upgraded are being rebuilt or upgraded and new connecting lines are being added. This includes a link to the Wari heavy-haul line near Yishui. The upgrades will increase the line’s capacity for freight by over 50%.

Work to upgrade the 62.8km Dongjiakou - Wulian line is also set to begin imminently. The project will provide a direct double-track link from Qingdao to Dongjiao port and nearby inland port areas and is expected to cost Yuan 18.3bn. Track doubling of the final section from Meijiabu to Xinyi is not currently planned.

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