The Chang High Speed Railway starts from Yichang North Station in Hubei Province and ends at Changde Station in Hunan Province. The total length of the line is 225 kilometers, with a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour and a total investment of 32.47 billion yuan. As a key section of the national "Eight Verticals and Eight Horizontals" high-speed railway network, the project connects the Yangtze River Economic Belt with the Dongting Lake Ecological Economic Zone. After completion, the travel time from Yichang to Changde will be reduced from the current 4 hours to within 1.5 hours.

1. Industrial synergy enters a new stage of "high-speed rail timeliness"

The construction of Yichang high-speed railway will break down the transportation barriers in western Hubei and northern Hunan, and accelerate the optimization of regional industrial resource allocation. The hydropower equipment and fine chemical industries in Yichang will complement and link with the equipment manufacturing and agricultural product processing industries in Changde, relying on a transportation efficiency of 350km/h to build an integrated industrial chain of "raw materials production sales". For example, chemical raw materials from Yichang can be quickly transported to manufacturing enterprises in Changde through high-speed rail, reducing transportation time by more than 70% compared to highways, and logistics costs are expected to be reduced by 15% -20%. At the same time, the project will drive the upgrading of industrial parks in 12 counties and districts along the line, plan and construct 3 high-speed rail economic industrial parks, focus on developing strategic emerging industries such as electronic information and high-end equipment, and is expected to create 23000 direct employment positions and more than 50000 indirect employment positions.

2. Integrating culture and tourism to create cross provincial golden tourism routes

As the transportation artery connecting the Three Gorges Dam, Wulingyuan National Scenic Spot, Taohuayuan and other world-class tourism resources, Yichang Changsha high-speed railway will promote the deep integration of Hubei Hunan cultural tourism industry. After the completion of the project, a 1.5-hour tourism circle of "Yichang Zhangjiajie Changde" will be formed, allowing tourists to enjoy a cross provincial long distance trip of "admiring the magnificence of the Three Gorges in the morning and visiting the fairyland of Wuling in the afternoon". The cities along the route have jointly launched supporting services such as "high-speed rail tourism tickets" and "scenic area shuttle lines", with plans to increase the total regional tourism revenue to 80 billion yuan within three years, driving a 30% increase in revenue for related industries such as homestays and catering along the route. In addition, the project will also assist in the dissemination of intangible cultural heritage. Five intangible cultural heritage exhibition halls will be planned and constructed along the line, expanding the influence of ethnic minority cultures such as Tujia and Miao through high-speed rail passenger flow radiation.

3. Upgrading people's livelihoods and well-being paints a picture of regional prosperity

The improvement of transportation conditions will directly benefit the travel and daily life of 4 million people along the route. Nine new passenger stations will be built along the project route, five of which will be located in county-level areas, ending the history of some counties not being connected to high-speed rail. The commuting time from Yichang to Changde has been reduced from 4 hours to within 1.5 hours, which will greatly facilitate residents from both places to visit relatives, work, seek medical treatment, and attend school. At the same time, high-speed rail will promote the sinking of high-quality public service resources. Third class hospitals and key schools in Yichang and Changde plan to establish cooperation mechanisms with counties and districts along the line through forms such as "telemedicine" and "education alliances" to enhance the level of regional public service equalization. In addition, green construction technology will be adopted during the project construction process to reduce the impact on the ecological environment along the line, and a 120 kilometer ecological protection zone will be constructed simultaneously to achieve coordinated development of transportation construction and ecological protection.

Technological innovation leads: creating a new benchmark for high-speed rail construction

To cope with complex terrain and geological conditions, it is advisable to integrate and apply multiple cutting-edge technologies in the construction of the Yichang high-speed railway. In response to geological challenges such as karst and landslides in the Wuling Mountains, the project team adopts 3D geological exploration technology and intelligent monitoring system to track geological changes in real time and ensure the safety of tunnel construction. As the steel-concrete composite beam bridge with the largest span of similar high-speed railway bridges in China, the Yuanjiang Grand Bridge will use BIM technology for full lifecycle management, achieving digital collaboration in design, construction, and operation and maintenance. At the same time, the project will create an intelligent high-speed rail demonstration section, deploying 5G communication, autonomous driving, intelligent security inspection and other equipment. In the future, passengers can experience smart travel services such as facial recognition and contactless payment, promoting the transformation of high-speed rail operation towards "intelligence and efficiency".Editor/Bian Wenjun