High-speed rail to link cities in Northwest, Central China

As part of the nation's push to expand its high-speed rail network, a key railway project has recently begun laying tracks, in a bid to slash travel time between cities in Northwest China and Central China.

Chinese railway builders began laying tracks on Sept 8 on the Xi'an-Shiyan HSR, a 255.7-kilometer rail allowing trains to run 350 km per hour between five stations — Xi'an East, Lantian, Shangluo West, Shanyang and Manchuan Pass.

While the new line links Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province in Northwest China, and Shiyan, a prefecture-level city in Central China's Hubei province, it also connects Wuhan-Shiyan HSR, reducing travel time between Xi'an and Wuhan — provincial capital of Hubei — from five hours to two and a half hours.

China National Railway Group, the nation's railway operator, said currently, the country's high-speed rail network spans about 48,000 km, accounting for 70 percent of the world's total, and linking nearly every Chinese city with a population of over 500,000. To better support Chinese modernization, the HSR network will continue to expand.

Constructors from State builder China Railway No 4 Engineering Group (CREC4), which is helping build the Xi'an-Shiyan HSR, began laying 500-meter-long steel rails on the ballastless track slabs in the section from Xi'an East to Lantian on Sept 8, marking the official start of full track-laying on the whole line.