On June 29, the Yichang-Xingshan High-Speed Railway, the connecting line linking Yichang to the Zhengzhou-Chongqing High-Speed Railway, entered its joint commissioning and testing phase, marking the countdown to the opening of the entire line.

　　Extending 108.48 kilometers with a designed speed of 350 km/h, the line starts at Yichangdong Railway Station, passes through the urban area and Yiling District, and connects to Xingshan Station on the Zhengzhou-Chongqing High-Speed Railway. The line currently undergoing joint commissioning and testing runs from Yangjiabang to Xingshan. The section from Yichangdong Railway Station and Yichangbei Railway Station to Yangjiabang was opened to traffic at the end of 2025, together with the Wuhan-Yichang section of the high-speed railways along the Yangtze River.

　　Traversing the mountainous terrain of western Hubei, the Yichang-Xingshan High-Speed Railway features a bridge-to-tunnel ratio of 95.13%. The Gaolan River Grand Bridge, the most challenging structure on the line, spans 1,029.8 meters, with its tallest pier reaching 124 meters. Meanwhile, the 16.88-kilometer Xingshandong Tunnel, one of the project’s key components, overcame major geological risks, including soft rock deformation, high gas levels and water and mud inrushes, before being holed through this January.

　　When the line enters service, it will significantly accelerate the development of Yichang’s cross-pattern high-speed rail network, further consolidating its status as a key hub in the national rail system. (Sanxia Daily: Reporters/Deng Yuqin, Long Jie, Mei Yuan and Wang Fei, Trainee Reporter/Li Ruocheng, Correspondents/Gong Jing and Huang Zhengrong)