High-speed rail line through mountainous Central China region opens to traffic

WUHAN -- The Yichang-Xingshan high-speed railway line in Central China's Hubei province began service on Monday, facilitating tourism, industrial development and rural revitalization in the mountainous region, according to China Railway Wuhan Bureau Group Co Ltd, its operator.

Traversing the Daba Mountains, the 101-km line with a design speed of 350 km per hour connects China's two major high-speed railway arteries, namely the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu line and the Zhengzhou-Chongqing line.

Shang Zejin, chief designer of the railway, said the construction process faced multiple challenges posed by complex geological conditions, including deep-buried tunnels, high in-situ stress, high gas concentrations and karst formations.

Designers and constructors applied numerous new technologies and construction techniques to tackle these problems. Of the total length, bridges and tunnels account for more than 94 percent of the line, Shang said.

Opened shortly before China's National Day holiday, the railway is expected to boost tourist flows between major cities including Wuhan, Zhengzhou and Chongqing, as well as iconic attractions such as the Three Gorges region along the Yangtze River, unleashing renewed economic momentum for the central region.

Ma Rong, deputy director of the passenger transport department of China Railway Wuhan Bureau Group Co Ltd, said the railway line will cut travel time and improve services, providing solid support for high-quality development in adjacent regions.

China has built the world's largest high-speed railway network. By the end of 2025, the total length of operating railways in the country had reached 165,000 km, including over 50,000 km of high-speed rail.

Under national plans, China's high-speed rail network is projected to reach 70,000 km by 2035.