SEVERAL new Chinese railway construction projects have taken major steps forward in recent weeks.
The 277km Fuzhou - Xiamen - Zhangzhou high-speed line opened on September 27. The 350km/h line is the country’s fastest cross-sea high-speed railway.
In northwestern China, the government’s Railway Group and the Shaanxi provincial government have approved preliminary design of the new Yan’an- Yulin high-speed line, a key step towards the start of construction.
The 239.7km line will connect with the Xi’an - Yan’an high-speed line, running from Yan’an New District station via Ershilipu Airport, where a depot will be located. The line will then continue north through Baota District and Yanchuan City and then seven districts and counties in Yulin City, terminating in Yuyang District at Yulin South station.
The 350km/h line will run for 168.8km of its length in tunnel with the remaining 53.3km elevated. There will be six stations. Construction is expected to take four and a half years to complete and the project is budgeted at Yuan 38.9bn ($US 5.2bn).
The line is part of China’s Bao Sea Channel, one of the eight vertical and eight horizontal high-speed corridors and will connect with the under-construction Guanzhong Plain – Hohhot-Baotou-E line, helping to improve connectivity in northern Shaanxi province and the Guanzhong Plain conurbation centred on Xi’an.
In eastern China, approval has also been granted for the construction of the Weisu high-speed railway, which will run between Weifang and Suqian, as well as a connecting line to Qingdao.
The 398km Weisu high-speed line will run from Weifang North station in Shandong province, passing through Rizhao, Linyi, Xuzhou, and Suqian City in Jiangsu province to the terminus at Yanghe North station. The line has 12 stations.
The 108km connecting line from Weifang North to Qingdao with four stations will be built simultaneously. Connections to the Shanghai - Beijing high-speed line will be possible on this line from Yanghekou station. Both of the new lines will have a design speed of 350km/h.
The project will integrate Qingdao into the national network and support the development of the Qingdao metropolitan area.
In Guangzhou, approval has been granted for construction of a new 200km/h, 25.2km inter-city line between Guangzhou station and Guangzhou South station, a key component of which is the new 13.2km-long Xilang Tunnel.
The line runs from Guangzhou station, partially utilising the existing Guangmao railway to Wuyanqiao until the new railway proceeds south through the new tunnel to Guangzhou South. As well as the new line, the project will involve the reconstruction of a 1.4km stretch of the Gui-Nan – Guangzhou line and the comprehensive refurbishment of Guangzhou South.
Construction was due to commence at the end of September and is expected to take four years to complete. The project is budgeted at Yuan 5.3bn.
The project will connect Guangzhou, Guangzhou Baiyun and Guangzhou South stations with the existing Beijing - Guangzhou and Guangzhou - Shenzhen high-speed lines as well as the Guangzhou - Zhuhai inter-city line and the under-construction Guangzhou - Shantou railway.
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