Work starts on Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou line

Construction of a high-speed railway connecting Shanghai, Suzhou in Jiangsu Province and Huzhou in Zhejiang Province started on Friday, marking further integration of the Yangtze River Delta region.

The 163.8-kilometer line will carry trains that can reach 350 kilometers per hour and pass through seven stations — Shanghai Hongqiao, Songjiang South, Fenhu, Shengze, Nanxun, Huzhou East and Huzhou.

It will connect with other key high-speed lines such as the Nanjing-Hangzhou, Huzhou-Hangzhou and Shangqiu-Hefei-Hangzhou routes as part of the network in the Yangtze River Delta region.

As a key infrastructure project connecting different provinces and cities, the Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou railway is expected to facilitate regional development and integration.

Currently, there are no direct rail routes between Shanghai and Huzhou. Passengers have to make a two-hour detour by stopping in Hangzhou or Nanjing.

Travel time will be reduced to 50 minutes after the line’s completion in 2024. It will take passengers just 25 minutes to travel between Shanghai Hongqiao and Wujiang District in Suzhou, according to Huang Chunfeng, senior engineer with China Railway Shanghai Group.

“The new inter-region route will significantly relieve the transportation burden for the current Beijing-Shanghai and Shanghai-Hangzhou railways,” Huang said.

The new regional railway will also be a “green” tourist route, enabling travelers to reach major sightseeing spots such as ancient watertowns, but in the meantime keeping a distance from natural resources such as Dianshan Lake in Qingpu District to preserve the eco-system along the Yangtze River.

This year, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces have plans to implement 1,390 major integration projects in the Yangtze River Delta region with a total investment of 7.81 trillion (US$1.1trillion) yuan.

Among them, 76 new infrastructure projects worth over 2 billion yuan have been initiated. A number of new landmark projects for a green demonstration zone will also begin construction.