Workers carry out track-laying operations at the construction site of the Chongqing East–Qianjiang section of the Chongqing–Xiamen high-speed railway. (Photo/Xinhua)
Chongqing - The Qianjiang-Jishou high-speed railway, part of China’s national high-speed rail network, has received feasibility approval from the National Development and Reform Commission, clearing the way for construction to start later this year.
For generations, people in the Wuling Mountains have lived with a simple reality: getting from one place to another was never easy. A local saying about traveling through Youyang, Xiushan, Qianjiang and Pengshui reflects the region’s steep terrain and challenging roads. The mountains once limited mobility and became a major obstacle to regional economic growth.
The 222-kilometer high-speed railway, designed for a top speed of 350 km/h, will link Qianjiang in southeastern Chongqing with Jishou in Hunan. It will add three new stations — Youyang West, Xiushan North and Huayuan — and connect with the existing Zhangjiajie-Jishou-Huaihua railway at Jishou East Station. The project is expected to take five years to complete.
Once completed, the railway will close a critical gap in Chongqing’s planned “Mi-shaped” high-speed rail network, a radial network resembling the Chinese character “米.” It will bring high-speed rail access for the first time to Youyang and Xiushan counties in southeastern Chongqing, as well as underserved areas in western Hunan.
Travel time from downtown Chongqing to Xiushan will be reduced to about 1.5 hours, while the journey to Youyang will be cut to one hour. The new route will also reduce travel time between Chongqing and Changsha, the capital of Hunan, to about three hours—around 20% to 30% shorter than current services.
For residents of Youyang and Xiushan, who have long relied on routes through Huaihua or Guizhou for inter-regional travel, the new line is expected to significantly improve daily mobility.
For Yuan, who lives in Youyang and works in downtown Chongqing, the change will mean more time with family and less time spent on the road. “Once it opens, I won’t have to rush back on Sunday anymore. I can take an early train on Monday and still make it to work on time,” she said.
A morning in Chongqing, lunch in Hunan? possible!
“The value of this transport corridor goes far beyond cutting travel time,” said an official from Chongqing’s transport authorities. The high-speed rail link is expected to strengthen connections between major economic regions, supporting closer cooperation among western China’s Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan city cluster and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Beyond improving passenger mobility, the Qianjiang-Jishou railway is expected to create new opportunities for economic and tourism development. It will establish a direct high-speed corridor linking southwestern and central China, strengthening regional economic ties.
By easing passenger traffic pressure on the existing Chongqing-Huaihua railway, the new line will free up capacity for freight services, bolstering the eastern corridor of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.
The railway will also serve as a major tourism route, connecting destinations such as Fenghuang Ancient Town and Zhangjiajie. Industry observers expect the line to promote integrated cultural and tourism development across the Wuling Mountain area.
Imagine starting the day with Chongqing’s famous noodles and sitting down for Hunan’s signature dishes by lunchtime. Such a seamless travel experience could soon become part of everyday life with faster rail connections.
(Li Jiayan, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)