THE development of China’s high-speed network reached a new milestone on November 28 with the opening of a 98km line in Guizhou province in the southwest of the country, running from Panzhou station on the Shanghai - Kunming high-speed line to Xingyi South station.

Xingyi South serves the city’s Wanfenglin Airport, connecting it to the national high-speed network, and there is one intermediate station at Baotian. With a maximum speed of 250km/h, the new line cuts the journey time between Xingyi and the provincial capital Guiyang from around 4 hours to 1h 56min.

Construction started in December 2018, followed by tracklaying in December 2024 and test running in September. A southern extension to Baise has been approved, connecting with the Xingyong - Chenggan line.

Testing in progress

Test running on the 299.8km Xi’an - Yan’an high speed line started in September and the line is expected to open before the end of this year. This is the first high-speed line in northwest China to have full 5G coverage, the complex terrain requiring a combination of radio masts and leaky feeder cables in long tunnels to ensure signal reception. Public network coverage exceeds 85%.

Also expected to open before the end of this year is the Beijing - Yanjiao section of the Beijing - Tangshan high-speed line, where testing has commenced. The Yanjiao - Tangshan section of the 149km line opened in December 2022.

The line starts at a new station serving the Beijing Municipal Administrative Centre in the suburb of Tongzhou, 15km northeast of the city centre. The new station will have eight platforms and 14 tracks and will provide interchange with lines 6 and 22 of the Beijing metro.

The Baotou - Huinong section of the Baotou - Yinchuan high-speed line recently passed inspection and is ready for trial operation. Opening is scheduled for the end of this year.

Tracklaying underway

Tracklaying on the 350km/h Chaohu - Ma’anshan line in Anhui province commenced on November 20, and is expected to be completed by the end of January. The 61.4km high-speed line serves five stations, including existing stations at Chaohu East and Ma'anshan East and three new intermediate stations at Hanshan, Zhengpugang, and Ma'anshan South.

Civil works began in October 2019. A tracklaying base has been established near Ma'anshan South station to store rail to lay 139km of mainline track and 6km of station track.

The new line is jointly funded by Anhui Provincial Investment Group, Jiangdong Holding Group, and Hefei Construction Investment Holding (Group), with investment totalling Yuan 25.6bn ($US 3.6bn). It is managed by Hema High-Speed Railway Company under Anhui Provincial Investment.

Tracklaying is expected to be completed for static inspection to commence in April 2026, prior to the start of test running. The Chaohu - Ma’anshan high-speed line is expected to open in the second half of next year.

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