On the vast land of Xing'an League in Inner Mongolia, the Bai'a Railway, which carries the travel hopes and tourism development dreams of residents along the line, is about to undergo a historic transformation. On March 2nd, with the release of the housing expropriation decision by the People's Government of Alshan City, the transportation artery connecting Ulanhot and Alshan officially pressed the "upgrade button" and is scheduled to start construction in May this year, moving towards the goal of "operating high-speed trains".

Make room for the operation of high-speed trains

On March 2, 2026, the People's Government of Alshan City officially issued the decision on the expropriation of houses for the expansion and renovation project of the Ulanhot Alshan section of the Bai'a Railway. According to the document, the scope of this expropriation covers four areas: Mingshuihe Town, Wuchagou Town, Bailang Town, and Wenquan Street, targeting the houses and ancillary facilities within the railway occupation line. This measure aims to clear obstacles for the upcoming large-scale construction and ensure the smooth progress of the project.

The launch of this collection work is another key milestone after the release of the construction bidding results in early December last year. The total investment of the project is about 3.06 billion yuan, and it is planned to officially start construction in May 2026 and be completed by the end of May 2028. From the completion of bidding to the implementation of expropriation, and then to the upcoming full-scale construction, the upgrading and renovation of the Bai'a Railway is gradually moving from blueprint to reality.

Electrification renovation and disease control

The Bai A Railway from Ulanhot to Alshan starts at Ulanhot Station, passes through Manghantun Station on the Xiwu Line, and ends at Alshan Station. The existing length of the line is 254.843 kilometers. The capacity expansion and renovation project will focus on four major directions: electrification upgrading, line disease control, station optimization, and equipment updates.

Electrification renovation: The section from Ulanhot North to Alshan will undergo electrification renovation, with the construction of five new 220 kV traction substations including Guiliuhe, Debussy, Mingshuihe, Niufentai, and Alshan, providing stable power guarantee for the operation of power concentrated high-speed trains.

Disease control: The section from Manghantun to Alshan will implement roadbed and bridge disease control, set up protective fences, rebuild the Nanxing'an Tunnel, and simultaneously renovate small curve radius sections. The total length of the renovated route will be 29.189 kilometers, greatly improving the safety and smoothness of the route.

Equipment update: According to the operating standards of high-speed trains, the communication and signal equipment will be renovated, and the entire line's level crossing renovation project will be completed to completely eliminate safety hazards at level crossings.

Creating a new convenient travel experience

In order to further enhance passenger travel experience and train scheduling efficiency, the project will carry out large-scale optimization of stations along the line. Upgrade 11 stations, add 2 stations in the near future, and add 1 station in the long term.

Key station renovation: Alshan Station will undergo overall renovation and expansion, with the basic platforms of Bailang Station and Solon Station being rebuilt into high platforms, and Bailang, Solon, and Dashizhai Stations achieving mainline connectivity.

New stations added: Two new passing stations, Niufentai and Lushui, will be opened to further facilitate the boarding and alighting of passengers along the line and improve train scheduling and traffic efficiency.

After the project is completed and put into operation, the Bai'a Railway will achieve full line speed increase and seamless operation, with a designed maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour. The train travel time from Ulanhot City to Alshan City will be shortened to about 2 hours, saving half of the current time. At the same time, the renovation project of high-speed trains from Alshan to Hailar has also been put on the planning agenda. After connecting with the Changbai Urumqi high-speed railway, these two projects will create a fast railway corridor from Hailar to Changchun and Shenyang, as well as an ecological tourism corridor in northern Inner Mongolia, achieving dual enhancement of passenger and freight transportation capacity.

The upgrading and renovation of the Bai'a Railway is not only a supplement to transportation infrastructure, but also a reconstruction of the regional economic pattern.

In the future, this railway will become a major transportation artery connecting the towns of Xing'an League and Jilin and Inner Mongolia, injecting new impetus into regional economic development, cultural tourism integration, and rural revitalization.Editor/Yang Meiling