China opens four new high-speed rail lines, further expanding the world’s largest network
The new routes connect major cities, mountain regions and economic centers, while cutting travel times and creating new opportunities for regional development. On Monday, four high-speed rail lines opened for service across several provinces, further strengthening China’s extensive rail network.
The Xi’an–Ankang high-speed railway in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province has cut travel time between the two cities from around three hours to just 45 minutes. The main line is about 171 kilometers long and designed for speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour. It starts at Xi’an East Railway Station, crosses the Qinling Mountains and reaches Ankang West Railway Station, with five stations along the route.
The Xiong’an–Shangqiu section of the Beijing–Hong Kong high-speed railway corridor also entered service on the same day. Connecting Xiong’an New Area in Hebei Province with Shangqiu in central China’s Henan Province, the section accounts for about one-quarter of the entire high-speed corridor.
“With the opening of the Xiong’an–Shangqiu high-speed railway, Beijing now has a third high-speed rail corridor running southward, filling a gap in the rail network between the Beijing–Guangzhou and Beijing–Shanghai lines. For Xiong’an New Area, the southbound high-speed rail corridor is now fully connected, providing direct access to central and eastern China and enabling more efficient integration into the national high-speed rail network,” said Hou Libo, a senior economist with the Planning and Statistics Department of China Railway Beijing Group.
The Yichang–Xingshan high-speed railway in central China’s Hubei Province also began operations on Monday. The operator said the line is expected to support tourism, industry and rural revitalization in the mountainous region.
Running through the Daba Mountains, the 101-kilometer line is designed for speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour and connects two major high-speed rail arteries: the Shanghai–Chongqing–Chengdu line and the Zhengzhou–Chongqing line. Opened shortly before China’s National Day holiday on Oct. 1, it is expected to boost tourist flows between major cities such as Wuhan, Zhengzhou and Chongqing and attractions including the Three Gorges area along the Yangtze River.
The fourth route is the Harbin–Yichun high-speed railway, the northernmost high-speed rail line in China. It runs through areas of discontinuous permafrost in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, linking the forest city of Yichun with Harbin, the provincial capital.
The new line stretches 318 kilometers, is designed for speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour and has nine stations. Yichun West Railway Station is now the northernmost high-speed railway station in China and the largest of the new stations on the line, with capacity for up to 1,500 passengers at a time.
China has built the world’s largest high-speed railway network. By the end of 2025, the country’s operational railway network is expected to reach 165,000 kilometers, including more than 50,000 kilometers of high-speed tracks. Under national plans, China’s high-speed railway network is set to reach 70,000 kilometers by 2035. As reported by CCTV+, the opening of the four new lines marks another step in the expansion of China’s high-speed railway network.
