Yichang rail network spreads its tentacles

By Shen Yuan, Yichang International Communication Studio

Construction began yesterday on two high-speed rail lines, the Yichang-Fuling section of the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu line and the Yichang-Changde line.

The Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu high-speed railway, stretching 2100 kilometers all the way from Shanghai on the east coast to Chongqing and Chengdu deep in the interior, will go through Changyang, Wufeng, Hefeng, Enshi, Lichuan, and Chongqing. The section between Yichang and Fuling in Chongqing Municipality stretches 490 kilometers, with 329 kilometers in Hubei province. When completed, the new line will reduce travel time from Yichang to Chongqing from the current 4-5 hours to about 2 hours.

The high-speed line running south from Yichang to Changde in Hunan province is part of the Hohhot-Nanning line. The 86.4 kilometer Yichang section is slated to pass through Wujiagang, Dianjun, Changyang and Yidu. It will reduce travel time from Yichang to Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, from the current 4-5 hours to about 1 hour.