TESTING is now underway on the 299.8km Xi’an - Yan'an high speed line in northwest China. Designed for 350km/h, the new line serves 11 stations, running from the high-speed station at Xian East via Gaoling, Fuping South, Tongchuan, Tongchuan North, Yijun, Huangling, Luoquan, Fuxian North and Ganquan North to the existing station at Yan'an.

Following approval of the feasibility study for the new line by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in December 2018, construction started in January 2020, beginning with work on the New Yan'an Tunnel. Testing began on September 11.

The new line will more than halve the current journey time to under 1 hour. It is likely to carry significant levels of tourist traffic, as Xi’an is internationally famous as the home of the Terracotta Army. Yan'an was the city in which Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) based themselves before, during and after World War II and is a major national tourist destination.

Testing of the Panzhou - Xingyi high-speed line in Guizhou province in southwest China commenced on September 6. The 250km/h, 98.3 km line will connect Panzhou station with Xingyi South, via an intermediate station at Xingyi North. Construction started in December 2018, and the line is expected to open at the end of November.

Testing of the Jingmen - Jingzhou high speed line in Hubei province in central China started at the beginning of this month. With a-maximum speed of 350km/h, the 77.5km line has stations at Jingmen West, Shayang West, and Jingzhou.

Jingmen West and Shayang West are new stations, while Jingzhou has been upgraded. Jingmen West will provide interchange with the Shanghai - Chongqing - Chengdu high-speed line, currently under construction, and with the Xiangyang - Jingmen high-speed line. Construction of the Jingmen - Jingzhou high speed line began in September 2020.

Trial operations have now commenced on the Shenyang - Baidu section of the Shenyang - Jiamusi high-speed line in northeast China. There are three or four pairs of services to Changbaishan each day, in advance of full revenue s,service which may start later this month.

The 350km/h high-speed line is 430km long with 10 stations, including Shenyang North, Tieling West, Siping East, Gongzhuling South, Changchun, Jilin, Jiaohe West, Dunhua, Yongqing and Changbaishan West. The current conventional service, stopping at all stations en route, takes 4h 20min, and the fastest high-sped service is expected to take less than 2 hours once the line is fully operational. 

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