In the current macro context of vigorously promoting infrastructure interconnection and accelerating the construction of the national 123 travel transportation circle, the planning and construction of major regional transportation projects are becoming an important engine for stabilizing the economy, promoting development, and optimizing the pattern. Recently, the preliminary review of land use for the Guangdong section of the Yongzhou Qingyuan to Guangzhou railway has been officially accepted, marking a crucial progress in this transportation artery with a total investment of about 95.1 billion yuan, connecting Hunan and Guangdong provinces. It is accelerating towards the goal of obtaining feasibility studies before the end of the year, and another strategic channel that radiates and drives the development of the central and western regions in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area is accelerating from the blueprint to reality.

Bridge tunnel ratio exceeds 84%, indicating construction difficulty

The Yongqing Guangzhou high-speed railway has a total length of about 390 kilometers and a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour. It is a key project in the National 14th Five Year Plan for Railway Development. The line starts from Yongzhou Station in Hunan, runs through many counties and districts in Yongzhou, crosses the Nanling Mountain, enters Guangdong, and ends at Guangzhou North Station through many counties and cities in Qingyuan. There are 10 stations along the entire line, of which 7 are newly built stations. The most notable feature of the project is the complex topography and geology, and the huge scale of bridge and tunnel works: 217 bridges and 74 tunnels are set up along the whole line, with a total length of nearly 329 kilometers, and the bridge tunnel ratio is as high as 84.24%. Especially in the Guangdong section, it needs to cross the the Nanling Mountain Mountains, which is a huge construction challenge. This is one of the important reasons why the total investment of the project has increased to 95.1 billion yuan compared with the early estimate.

Diverting and reshaping the regional pattern for the Beijing Guangzhou high-speed railway

This railway is a core component of the national Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Chengdu Chongqing axis, with a prominent strategic position. Firstly, it will form an auxiliary channel for the Beijing Guangzhou high-speed railway, effectively alleviating the transportation pressure on the Beijing Guangzhou mainline, especially the Wuhan Guangzhou section, and enhancing the resilience of the road network. Secondly, as a southward extension of the Hunan South Railway, it will construct a brand new north-south longitudinal corridor. More importantly, the project will completely change the transportation location in central and western Hunan. After completion, the travel time from Yongzhou to Guangzhou will be shortened from the current 3+hours to about 1.5 hours. Hunan Changde, Yiyang, Loudi, Shaoyang, Yongzhou and other places will no longer need to detour around Changsha when heading south to the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, achieving a direct straight line. At the same time, it will end the history of counties and cities in Guangdong, such as Lianzhou and Yangshan, not being connected to high-speed rail, and help Qingyuan achieve its development goals of compensating for transportation deficiencies and not being far away.

Since 2024, the preliminary work of the project has entered the fast lane: from survey and design bidding, pre feasibility study review, to feasibility study and repair review, the process has been completed one after another, with a tight connection. Recently, the Department of Natural Resources of Guangdong Province has coordinated and promoted land security work, clearing obstacles for the lawful commencement of projects. Currently, the project is striving to achieve the goal of obtaining approval for the feasibility study report before the end of the year. Keywords: traffic news, engineering information platform

The Yongqing Guangzhou high-speed railway is not only a transportation line, but also a major artery for economic integration and coordinated development. Its construction will greatly enhance the radiation and driving capacity of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area to the southwestern and northern regions of Hunan and Guangdong, providing solid transportation support for promoting regional common prosperity and building a new development pattern. With breakthroughs in key aspects such as land pre-approval, this highly anticipated high-speed rail new channel is steadily advancing towards full construction.Editor/Cheng Liting