Construction of the Yichang Yangtze River Railroad Bridge, a key component of the Yichang-Fuling High‑Speed Railway, has reached the main tower stage. With both the Yichang-Fuling and Yichang-Changde high‑speed railways making swift progress, Yichang is fast becoming a national high‑speed rail hub.

　　The Yichang-Fuling line is a vital link in the Yangtze River Passage, part of China’s “Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal” national rail network. Spanning 488 kilometers with a design speed of 350 kilometers per hour, it will shorten travel time between Yichang and Chongqing to just 2.5 hours. The Yichang-Changde line, a key section of the Hohhot-Nanning Passage, will cut the journey from Yichang to Changsha to around 2 hours.

　　Together with the existing Zhengzhou-Wanzhou and Wuhan-Yichang high‑speed railways and the soon‑to‑be‑completed Yichang-Xingshan line, the two new railways will form a cross‑shaped high‑speed rail hub in Yichang, greatly enhance connectivity among urban agglomerations in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and provide strong support for high‑quality regional development. (Sanxia Daily: Reporter/Gong Changjun, Correspondent/Chen Chen)