On May 6, 2026, Inner Mongolia High speed Railway Co., Ltd. issued a tender notice for the preparation and approval of preliminary design prerequisites and geological survey supervision services for the new Bao'eyu High speed Railway (Bao'e section) project. This marks the beginning of preliminary design approval and on-site surveying related preliminary work for the Bao'e section of the Bao'e Yushan high-speed railway, sounding the alarm for the expected full-scale construction next year. As the northernmost section of the national eight vertical and eight horizontal Baohai high-speed railway main channel, this project is also the only section in the feasibility study that has not been approved, and its progress has attracted much attention.

28 million budget leveraged seven major special evaluations

This bidding has released a clear signal of progress. The budget for the preparation and approval service of the preliminary design prerequisite report is as high as 28 million yuan, and the work content is extremely complex. It is necessary to complete the preparation and approval of seven prerequisite documents in the preliminary design stage, including environmental impact assessment (including environmental sensitive area assessment), soil and water conservation plan assessment, energy conservation assessment, earthquake safety assessment, cultural relic protection, flood control impact assessment report, navigation demonstration report, etc., covering the entire process of on-site investigation, taxes, and review conference fees. At the same time, the budget for geological survey supervision services is 2.48 million yuan, which will implement full process engineering geological survey supervision for the Bao'e high-speed railway positioning survey, supplementary positioning survey, and construction supplementary survey stages to ensure the accuracy and reliability of geological data.

350 kilometers per hour runs through both sides of the Yellow River

The Baotou Eyu high-speed railway is not only the culmination of the Baotou West high-speed railway, but also the backbone of the Hohhot Baotou Eyu urban agglomeration. The route starts from Baotou East Station of Beijing Baotou Railway in the north, crosses the Yellow River in the south, passes through Dalate Banner, Dongsheng District, Kangbashi District, and Yijinhuoluo Banner, enters Shenmu City and Yuyang District of Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, and finally connects with the under construction Yanyu High speed Railway at Yulin South Station. Among the 277.2 kilometer long route, the Inner Mongolia section accounts for 179.5 kilometers, the Shaanxi section is 97.7 kilometers, the design speed is 350 kilometers per hour, the estimated total investment is about 42 billion yuan, and the bridge tunnel ratio is as high as 76.7%. Six stations are planned for the entire line, including Baotou East, Dalat, Dongsheng North, Ordos (existing), Hongjiannao, and Yulin South. Keywords: railway bidding, railway infrastructure construction

With the opening of the West Extension High speed Railway at the end of last year and the construction of the Yanyu High speed Railway starting at the end of 2023, the filling of the Bao'e section will completely open up the Baoxi High speed Railway channel. By 2028, when the entire line is completed, the travel time from Baotou to Xi'an will be shortened from the current 9.5 hours for conventional railways to around 3.5 hours. The cross shaped longitudinal high-speed railway channel in the Yellow River Basin will officially take shape, bringing a qualitative leap to cities along the route.Editor/Cheng Liting