The new railway line features 36 medium and large bridges, 17 tunnels, and a designed speed of 250 km/h, with construction commencing on November 3rd.
The Yong-Zhou high-speed railway will connect the cities of Ningbo and Zhoushan in Zhejiang Province, as stated by the project designer, China Siyuan Survey and Design Group.
Construction begins on the Yong-Zhou Railway in Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province, on November 3rd. (Photo: CFP).
The total length of the railway line is 76.396 km, featuring 36 medium and large bridges and 17 tunnels. The bridges and tunnels will account for over 90% of the total length of the route. The railway crosses four waterways, including Jintang, Xihoumen, Taoyaomen, and Fuchimen, with 7 stations and a designed speed of 250 km/h.
The project includes a 16.18 km underwater tunnel in the Jintang waterway. Upon completion, this will be China’s first offshore shield tunnel and will involve complex geological conditions that make construction challenging. In the Xihoumen waterway section, the project team will build a 1.488 km road-rail bridge. The entire project is expected to be completed in 6 years.
Once completed, the high-speed railway will reduce travel time between Ningbo and Zhoushan to just 30 minutes, approximately one-third of the current travel time. The travel time between Hangzhou (the capital of Zhejiang Province) and Zhoushan will also be cut down to 80 minutes, compared to 4.5 hours by bus and 2.5 hours by car currently.
The Yong-Zhou Railway is part of the initiative to construct a “one-hour high-speed railway traffic circle” in Zhejiang Province, which aims to accelerate the integration of Zhoushan and Ningbo into the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
