New high-speed rail cuts times to Chongqing
A Fuxing bullet train that departed on Monday morning from Chongqing was scheduled to arrive in Beijing in six hours and 46 minutes, marking the official opening of the Zhengzhou-Chongqing high-speed railway.
The new route, which connects Zhengzhou, Henan province, with Chongqing municipality is 1,068 kilometers long and is designed for speeds up to 350 kilometers per hour.
The line that passes through Henan and Hubei provinces and then through Chongqing, cuts travel time significantly between those locations. The fastest travel times from other cities to Chongqing are from Beijing (6:46), Zhengzhou (4:23) and Wuhan (4:57).
As an important part of the country's railway network, the route connects various scenic spots. The Xiangyang-Wanzhou section of the Zhengzhou-Chongqing high-speed railway has the highest ratio of bridges and tunnels in China, making up 98 percent of the line.
"It is the first time for Chongqing's Yunyang, Fengjie and Wushan counties to have high-speed rail," said Li Kailan, director of the engineering department of Chongqing-Wanzhou Railway Co.
He said central Henan province, the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle and the Yangtze River Economic Belt will be more closely connected now.
