Renderingsof XingshanHigh-speed RailwayStation

　　On December 28, the main project of the Yichang to Zhengzhou-Wanzhou High-Speed Railway link kicked off, marking an overall start of the construction. The project, together with the Wanzhou to Xingshan section of the Zhengzhou-Wanzhou Railway, is bound to be a new east-bound high-speed railway channel in Sichuan-Chongqing area, indicatingan end to the existing slow speed situation of Yichang-Wanzhou Railway, according to the Three Gorges Daily (Reporter Liu Yan and Correspondent Yu Lin),

　　The railway link Starts atYichang East Station and ends atXingshan Station of Zhengzhou-Wanzhou High-Speed Railway. With an overall length of 109km, thebridge-tunnel ratio of 98.87% and a design speed at 350km/h, it contains three stations including Yichang Station(East), Xiabaoping Station and Xingshan Station. It is estimated that the project will take about 18.15 billion yuan and 5.5 years to complete, and it is planned to be opened in 2025.

　　Aftercompleted, the operation time will be greatly shortened. For example, the maximum travel time from Yichang Station (East)to Xingshan is 20 minutes. The time from Chongqing to Yichang will be reduced from more than 4 hours to less than 2 hours, and from Chengdu to Yichang, the travel time will be narrowed from 6.5 hours to 4 hours, greatly shortening the journey of traveling along the Yangtze River Economic Belt regions. The line will bear most of the passenger flow traveling eastward from Sichuan to Chongqing alongside the Yangtze River. It is predicted that the passenger flow of the initial, near-term and long-term will respectively reach 12.16 million, 19.03 million, and 24.52 million with correspondingtrains of 55, 80, and 101 pairs.

　　The startup of the project marks the first step of the national “Three-Step” plan in building the new high-speed railway along the Yangtze River, according to the relevant officialsofthe Yichang Municipal Development and Reform Commission. As the first high-speed railway with a speed of 350 km/h in the urban area of our city, this project is of great significance to transform Yichang into a national comprehensive transportation hub, strengthen Yichang's contribution in the rise of the central region, and enhance Yichang’s leading role as the provincial sub-center.

　　As a national “13th Five-Year Plan” project, the construction of the link lineis a major step to implement the strategic positioning of the “ Interaction and Cooperation DevelopmentBelt in East-Central-West China”. With the social need met and a sustainable development of transportation achieved, it will also activate the advantages of rich resources in west Hubei Province, such as eco-cultural resources, by breaking through the bottleneck of terrible transportation. This will not only make more areas in the west available for travel, but further enlarge the radiation scope of the “One River and Two Mountains” program (An ecological landscape travel program), promoting the in-depth integrated development of tourism resources along the line and the construction of tourism brands. It plays an important role in both implementing the development strategy of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and promoting the economic and social development of cities alongside the belt.

　　Our city will strive to seize the strategic opportunities ofthe Yangtze River Economic Belt and implement the construction of Yichang high-speed railway hub. Based on the actual condition of transportation and development in Yichang, we will work to promote the planning and project construction of high-speed railway at a high level, taking pains to build a national comprehensive transportation hub.