New rail to speed up travel along Yangtze River

Feasibility studies have begun on a continuous high-speed railway linking eastern, central and southwestern parts of the country.

The railway, which would start in Shanghai and pass through Nanjing, Hefei, Wuhan and Chongqing before ending in Chengdu, Sichuan province, will run at 350 km/h and link 22 cities along the Yangtze River.

"Passengers from Shanghai will arrive in Chengdu within about nine hours and vice versa upon completion of the railway," said Peng Qiyuan, dean of the School of Traffic and Logistics at Chengdu-based Southwest Jiaotong University.