Many of us are fond of a trip to Shanghai. And the de facto way to do that is of course to take a high-speed train. But now, after over a decade, it’s getting a little boring seeing the same-old places along the way.
Therefore, the time has come to say goodbye to Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou, etc. For very soon, we shall have the option to instead take in eight stops along the all-new Yangtze River Shanghai-Nanjing High-speed Railway, among which four are brand-new, purpose-built stations.
On 9 March was laid the final pieces of track on the new line, while the stations en route are also at present receiving their final decoration.
In contrast to the existing line which has been in operation since 2010 as part of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed line, the Yangtze River Shanghai-Nanjing High-speed Railway is an all-Jiangsu affair.
Intended to provide additional capacity between our provincial capital and Shanghai Municipality, the new line also delivers faster journey times to several more economically-developed counties and cities in southern Jiangsu.
As its name implies, the new line takes a more northerly route that brings it close to the Yangtze River in places. Trains shall be departing Nanjing South to proceed east, with stops at Jiangning, Jurong, Jintan, Wujin, Jiangyin, Zhangjiagang, Changshu and Taicang. From there, an existing link can put you in Shanghai Hongqiao in just 28 minutes.
Among the stops, Jurong, Jintan, Wujin and Jiangyin are all brand-new stations along the 278.53 kilometre-long route, reports the Yangtze Evening News.
Of particular note to Nanjingers is also the station in Jiangning. Something of a ghost station, at present only around 20 trains each day come and go, and all headed in a southeasterly direction to cities such as Hangzhou. That’s all about to change.
Construction of the new 350 kilometre-per-hour line commenced on 8 October, 2018. A date when the first trains shall take to the tracks carrying fare-paying passengers has yet to be announced.
