The sixth meeting of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs was held in early 2020, determined to boost the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and put the transportation construction as the top priority by becoming a pioneer to drive the integrated development of the economic circle.

Connect Chengdu and Chongqing more closely

Chengdu-Ziyang-Chongqing Expressway is not only the fourth expressway connecting the two national central cities in Southwest China but also the only one in the country that directly links two state-level new areas, which are Chengdu Tianfu New Area and Chongqing Liangjiang New Area.

“Based on the current progress, the main body of the Chengdu-Ziyang-Chongqing Expressway (excluding the system interchange) will be completed by mid-May!” On April 15, Mi Wenyong, head of the Engineering Department of Sichuan Zitong Expressway Co., Ltd. of Sichuan Expressway Construction & Development Group Co., Ltd., Sichuan Transportation Investment Group, confirmed that the expressway would be open to traffic by the end of this year.

Both the projects under construction and the ones under preparation see quicker progress.

For example, the Chengdu-Chongqing Middle Line High-Speed Railway, the fourth railway with the highest maximum speed between Chengdu and Chongqing, has been rapidly developed. On January 19, it launched the invitation to bid for survey and design; on February 27, the bidding opened as scheduled, overcoming the challenges brought by COVID-19.

“The feasible report of the Chengdu-Chongqing Middle Line High-Speed Railway plans to be completed in mid-June.” Huang Yanlei, executive deputy head of the General Group of Chengdu-Chongqing Middle Line High-Speed Railway, China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group, said they would strive to achieve practical progress in July and September, while the primary design plan of the overall project is slated to be finished in November 2020.

As a series of transportation construction projects are vigorously developing, Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle will become a more closely-linked integration.

Realize integrated development in Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle

On April 9, a bullet train opened, stringing 15 stations in Sichuan, Chongqing, and Guizhou to form a complete transportation ring. This first cross-province ring railway for bullet trains consists of three existing railways. The entire journey costs around eight hours, shortening the travel time between places along the way to a few hours.

Economists considered this railway as an economical, more than transportation, ring connecting three central cities in western China. It highlights the radiation capacity of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and introduces a third party to facilitate the construction of a growth pole for high-quality development in this area.

The ring railway for bullet trains is a result of the exploitation of the current transportation infrastructure. Sichuan and Chongqing are developing major plans to stimulate the integrated development of the economic circle.

After the meeting held in January, transportation departments of the two sides intensified efforts to establish a cooperation mechanism. They decided to build a series of significant transportation projects and bring them into service, foster a batch of convenient and effective transportation organization models, and set up an innovative and cooperative policy mechanism within 3 to 5 years.

On April 14, Guang’an signed strategic cooperation agreements with Qianjiang District, Fuling District, Yubei District, Changshou District, Hechuan District, Dianjiang County and Zhongxian County of Chongqing, aiming to jointly build a pioneering demonstration zone for transportation integrated development in the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle.