In June 2026, the Shaanxi Provincial Development and Reform Commission issued a bidding announcement, which excited several county towns in western Henan and southern Shaanxi. The feasibility study report for the construction of the Shangluo Nanyang section of the new Xihe High speed Railway was officially launched for bidding, with a project budget of 960000 yuan.

For counties and districts such as Danfeng, Shangnan, Xixia, Neixiang, and Zhenping that do not yet have high-speed railways, this means that a travel revolution is approaching. In the future, local residents can board trains with a speed of 350 kilometers per hour at their doorstep and quickly reach Xi'an or Hefei. The key to whether all of this can be achieved lies in this' last kilometer '- the 306 kilometer long section from Shangluo to Nanyang with a total investment of 46.3 billion yuan.

Speed up at both ends, solve the problem in the middle section

The Xihe High speed Railway has a total length of about 918 kilometers, spanning Shaanxi, Henan, and Anhui provinces, connecting seven major nodes including Urumqi, Xining, Lanzhou, Xi'an, Hefei, Nanjing, and Shanghai. It is the most direct passage from northwest to the Yangtze River Delta. The entire route is divided into three sections for promotion:

The westernmost section from Xi'an to Shangluo, relying on the co operation of the under construction West Ten High Speed Railway, is expected to be opened to traffic within 2026. Shangluo West Station has reserved an interface for the introduction of the Xihe high-speed railway in advance.

The eastern section from Nanyang via Xinyang to Hefei (Nanxinhe High speed Railway) has been included in the national "14th Five Year Plan" railway plan, and has passed the feasibility study review. It can be approved for construction as early as the end of 2026.

The section from Shangluo to Nanyang in this bidding is located between the east and west sections. Only by connecting these 306 kilometers can the Xihe High Speed Railway be fully operational.

The tough battle behind 350 kilometers per hour

This section starts from Shangluo, crosses the eastern Qinling Mountains and enters Henan Province, passing through Danfeng, Shangnan, Xixia, Neixiang, Zhenping, and finally reaches the Nanyang hub. The Shaanxi section is 125 kilometers long, the Henan section is 181 kilometers long, with a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour, double track electrification, and a total investment of 46.3 billion yuan, including 21.6 billion yuan in Shaanxi and 24.7 billion yuan in Henan.

The route has previously studied options such as detouring around Shiyan, Hubei, but according to the bidding information, a straight route is more favored, and local authorities are actively promoting its inclusion in the national "15th Five Year Plan" railway plan. The project passes through the Qinling and Funiu mountainous areas, with high bridge tunnel ratios and complex geology. The 960000 yuan feasibility bidding is aimed at solving the core issues of route selection and geological preliminary survey in the early stage.

5 counties have opened their first high-speed railway, reducing the travel time from Xi'an to Hefei to within 4 hours

After the full line is completed, the travel time of the Xi'an Hefei high-speed railway will be reduced from nearly 5 hours to less than 4 hours, and the mileage will be shortened by 200 to 300 kilometers. More importantly, Danfeng, Shangnan, Xixia, Neixiang, and Zhenping counties and districts will be connected to the national high-speed rail network for the first time, providing strong support for the economic connections between western Henan, southern Shaanxi, central China, and the Yangtze River Delta.

As a key link in improving the layout of the "eight vertical and eight horizontal" road network, and an important transportation carrier for the joint construction of the the Belt and Road and the Western Development Strategy, the Shangluo Nanyang section of the Xihe High speed Railway is moving from drawings to reality. From the bidding announcement of 960000 yuan to the grand project of 46.3 billion yuan, this high-speed railway artery that crosses the Qinling Mountains is accelerating its formation. Editor/Yang Beihua