The Xi’an–Shiyan high-speed railway officially opened on June 30, 2026. The 257-kilometer line, with seven stations, operates at a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour connecting Xi’an in Shaanxi Province with Shiyan in western Hubei Province, forming a 350 km/h corridor linking northwest and central China.
Engineering Challenges Across the Qinling Mountains
The railway crosses the Qinling Mountains, a major geographical barrier that historically limited transport and economic exchange between northwest and central China. More than 90% of the route consists of bridges and tunnels required to navigate the mountainous terrain. A critical engineering highlight is the Yunyang Hanjiang River Rail Bridge, a steel-truss cable-stayed
structure featuring a composite girder-truss deck and a central main span of 420 meters. The route runs alongside the Han River and connects the Yellow River and Yangtze River watersheds.
Travel Time Reductions and Network Connections
Travel time between Xi’an and Shiyan has been cut from over six hours to about one hour. The line starts from the newly inaugurated Xi’an Dong station and connects with the existing Wuhan–Shiyan high-speed railway. This connection creates a continuous 350 km/h corridor, reducing travel time between Xi’an and Wuhan from 4 hours 30 minutes to 2 hours 41 minutes.
Rolling Stock and Operational Details
The China Railway Xi’an Group operates the line mainly with
CR400AF/BF Fuxing trainsets running at the designed maximum speed of 350 km/h. Construction began in 2021, with a total investment cost of 47.7 billion yuan.
Chief designer Mao Lei described the route as “a railway running through a natural geological museum,” highlighting the scenic and technical complexity of the mountainous rail corridor. The Xi’an–Shiyan line forms part of China’s expanding high-speed rail network enhancing transport between northwest and central regions.
