A feasibility report for constructing a new Yancheng-Nantong high speed railway was approved Saturday by the National Development and Reform Commission of China, according to the website of the Jiangsu Development and Reform Commission.
The new railway line, with a total of six stations, will start from Yancheng Station of the existing Xuzhou-Suqian-Huai’an-Yancheng railway, to the Nantong West Station of the Shanghai-Nantong railway, now under construction. The line will also passing through Yancheng’s Dafeng district and Nantong’s Dongtai city, Hai’an county and Rugao city. With a total investment of 30.55 billion yuan ($4.49 billion) for a construction period of four years, the railroad will boast a single-direction transport capacity of 40 million passengers per year at the designed speed target of 350 kilometers per hour.
According to the construction plans, both the Yancheng-Nantong railway and the intercity high-speed rail along the southern side of the Yangtze River will be completed in 2020. By then, travel time from Yancheng to Shanghai will be shortened to about one hour from the present 3.5-4 hours by long-distance bus, and Huai’an residents will also have an optional fast route to Shanghai.
