At present, as high-speed railways shuttle across the land of China like dragons, constantly reshaping the spatial and temporal patterns and promoting economic takeoff, the enthusiasm for high-speed railway construction continues to rise in various regions, and new route plans continue to emerge. However, a series of highly anticipated high-speed rail plans have quietly changed course recently, shifting from the originally ambitious plan of building new lines to the renovation and upgrading of existing lines.

Hohhot Baotou high-speed railway

In the railway planning blueprint of Inner Mongolia, the Hohhot Baotou high-speed railway with a maximum speed of 350 kilometers per hour designed in the 14th Five Year Plan has attracted much attention.

The project starts from Hohhot East Station in the east, passes through Tumote Left Banner and Tumote Right Banner in the west, and ends at Baotou Station, with a total length of 168 kilometers. In 2025, Baotou City publicly replied that China Railway Group has agreed in principle to include it in the medium and long-term railway network plan, and plans to carry out preliminary work during the 15th Five Year Plan period.

But now, as a recent project, the Hohhot Baotou high-speed railway is no longer the optimal choice, and Inner Mongolia has turned its attention to the renovation of the existing Hohhot Baotou section of the Beijing Baotou high-speed railway. This transformation may be due to a comprehensive balance of construction costs, resource utilization efficiency, and actual transportation needs.

Qihaiman High Speed Railway

The Qihaiman high-speed railway is of great significance. It is not only an important part of the Suiman Passage in China's eight vertical and eight horizontal high-speed railway network, but also a part of the 14th Five Year Plan railway planning research project for the Qiqihar Hailar section. During the 14th Five Year Plan period, the Qihaiman pre feasibility study route was completed.

The planned route starts from Qiqihar City, passes through Hailar District of Hulunbuir City, and ends at Manzhouli City, with a designed speed of 250 kilometers per hour.

However, this important high-speed railway trunk line has also decided to switch to promoting the high-speed train renovation project of Binzhou Railway (Qihai Manchuria section) during the 15th Five Year Plan period. Behind this, it may be due to the consideration that the renovation of existing lines can improve transportation capacity faster, while reducing construction difficulty and capital investment.

Ganlongxia High speed Railway

The Ganlongxia high-speed railway is a reinforced line proposed to address the issue of low speed in the section from Ganzhou to Longyan to Zhangzhou, with a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour. However, due to the lack of inclusion in the medium and long-term railway network planning and five-year plan during the 14th Five Year Plan period, the preliminary work of the project has not been officially launched at the national level.

The proposal table for the key railway projects to be promoted during the 15th Five Year Plan period in Jiangxi Province in 2025 includes the speed-up renovation of the Ganruilong Railway. This indicates that after weighing the pros and cons, the local government has chosen a more practical and feasible speed-up renovation plan to improve the regional transportation situation as soon as possible.

Hengyang to Ji'an high-speed railway

Hunan and Jiangxi provinces have been interested in building a high-speed railway from Hengyang to Ji'an with a speed of 350 kilometers per hour. During the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in 2025 and 2026, Hunan will add seven new projects, including the expansion and renovation of the Hengcha Ji Railway, to China's 15th Five Year Railway Development Plan in the name of the entire Communist Youth League. The expansion and renovation of the Hengcha Ji Railway will be constructed according to high-speed railway standards. Keywords: railway transportation, expansion project, Hohhot Baotou high-speed railway

This measure reflects the urgent need for improving the level of transportation infrastructure in the local area, and also demonstrates that capacity expansion and renovation are important development directions in high-speed rail planning.Editor/Cheng Liting