Wuhan-Yichang section of Yangtze River High-Speed Railway begins operation

By Chen Si

Travel time between Yichang and Wuhan has been cut to a record 69 minutes following the opening of the Wuhan-Yichang section of the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu Yangtze River High-Speed Railway on December 26. The first train, G6800, departing from Yichang North Station on the opening day.

Yichang North Station. Photo by Huang Xiang

The main line spans 313 kilometers and is designed for a top speed of 350 kilometers per hour. It starts at Hankou Station in Wuhan, passes through Tianmen and Jingmen, and terminates at Yichang North Station.

The line has a total of eight stations: Hankou, Hanchuan North, Tianmen, Jingshan South, Zhongxiang South, Jingmen West, Dangyang West, and Yichang North. Among them, Hankou Station and Jingmen West Station are existing facilities, while the others were newly built.

Train G6800. Photo by Huang Xiang

The Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu High-speed Railway, also known as the Yangtze River High-speed Railway, connects six provinces: Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan. It is a key component of China's "Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal" high-speed railway network.

To the east, the line connects with the Wuhan transportation hub. To the west, it links with the under-construction Yichang-Xingshan and Yichang-Fuling high-speed railways. In the central section, it intersects with the Xiangyang-Jingmen and Jingmen-Jingzhou high-speed railways at Jingmen West Station.

Schematic map of the Wuhan-Yichang section of the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu High-Speed Railway.

With the Wuhan-Yichang section now in operation, travel time between Wuhan, Xiangyang, and Yichang has been reduced to around one hour. The line connects 10 cities across Hubei Province, enhances regional transportation capacity, and supports the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.