CHINA: A more direct Chongqing – Guiyang line which is suitable for 200 km/h operation opened on January 25, reducing the journey time between the cities from 10½ h to 2 h.
Construction of the 347 km line had been launched on December 22 2010. The total cost of the project was 53·1bn yuan, including 2·2bn yuan for rolling stock. Trial running began on October 12 2017.
The route is generally similar to that of the existing railway, but shorter with 75% of the alignment being in 115 tunnels or on 209 bridges. The minimum curve radius is 5 500 m.
A full round-up of Chinese new line openings in 2017 and ongoing construction work will appear in the February 2018 issue of Railway Gazette International.
