Yichang-Xingshan High-Speed Railway opens to traffic
2026-09-28 19:09:29
By Yan Wanqin.
A Fuxing bullet train pulled out of Xingshan Railway Station at 9:58 am on September 28, marking the opening of the Yichang-Xingshan High-Speed Railway.
The journey between Xingshan and Yichang has been cut from 2 hours to just 30 minutes.
A Fuxing bullet train pulled out of Xingshan Railway Station at 9:58 am on September 28, marking the opening of the Yichang-Xingshan High-Speed Railway.
The journey between Xingshan and Yichang has been cut from 2 hours to just 30 minutes.
The first high-speed train on the Yichang-Xingshan High-Speed Railway waits for passengers at Xingshan Railway Station. The line officially opens to traffic on September 28. Photo by Li Ruocheng.
The Yichang-Xingshan High-Speed Railway connects the Wuhan-Yichang section of the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu High-Speed Railway with the Zhengzhou-Chongqing High-Speed Railway. The line spans approximately 101 km, is designed for speed of 350 km/h, and passes through Yichangdong and Xingshan railway stations.
Construction of the line began in August 2020. Builders enhanced scientific and technological research activities to advance the project efficiently. The line comprises 23 tunnels and 56 bridges, with bridges and tunnels accounting for 94.4 percent of its length.
The 16.88-kilometer Xingshandong Tunnel, the longest on the route, took over 1,900 days to complete. The Gaolanhe Bridge features a 137-meter-tall pier, the tallest of its kind in China.
The Yichang-Xingshan High-Speed Railway. Photo by Huang Xiang.
During the initial period of operation, up to eight cross-line bullet trains will run daily at a maximum speed of 350 kilometers per hour.
Several high-speed trains between Wuhan and Chongqing will be rerouted via the new line, cutting the fastest travel time between the two cities from 4 hours 56 minutes to 3 hours 54 minutes.
Deng Yuqin contributed to this story.
