The majestic Qinling Mountains, spanning thousands of miles, and the ever flowing Han River silently witness the development aspirations of Qin and Chu, who have faced each other for thousands of years.
Crossing mountain barriers and connecting regional networks. On June 30th, the Xi'an Shiyan high-speed railway was officially put into operation. This steel artery, designed with a speed of 350 kilometers per hour and a total length of approximately 257 kilometers, straightens the fast transportation line connecting the northwest and central China, reducing the travel time from Xi'an to Shiyan to about 1 hour. The fastest travel time from Xi'an to Wuhan is only 2 hours and 41 minutes.
The completion and opening of the West Tenth High speed Railway not only brings Shaanxi and Hubei provinces closer together, but also provides a more seamless "embrace" for the Yangtze River and Yellow River basins, and a stronger and faster connection for the transportation artery from the southeast coast through central China to the northwest inland.
Strategic leap from natural barriers to smooth paths
On the morning of June 30th, the brand new high-speed railway Xi'an East Station.
The morning light shines on the streamlined body of the "Fuxing" intelligent high-speed train. With the slow start of the first train, the West Tenth High speed Railway has been officially completed and opened to traffic.
A passenger sighed and said, "In the past, it took more than ten hours to travel from Xi'an to Wuhan by taking the green train around Zhengzhou. Now it only takes three hours to get there, it's really fast
Opening the map, the strategic value of the West Tenth High Speed Railway is clear at a glance: thus, a nearly straight expressway is formed from northwest to central China.
Zhou Tianjie, Deputy Chief Engineer of China Railway Fourth Survey and Design Institute Group Co., Ltd., said that the channel further enhances Xi'an's level as a national comprehensive transportation hub, promotes Shiyan's transformation from a remote location in Hubei to an important transportation hub at the border of Hubei and Shaanxi, and builds a new high-speed channel connecting the northwest and central regions. It has important strategic significance for promoting the coordinated development of the Silk Road Economic Belt, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and the central region.
Building roads is not an easy task. Mao Lei, the chief designer of the West Tenth High speed Railway of China Railway First Survey and Design Institute Group Co., Ltd., said that the proportion of bridges and tunnels along the entire railway line exceeds 90%, with the Hubei section reaching 98.85%. There are five long tunnels over 10 kilometers long.
The most difficult bone to gnaw on along the entire line is the Yunyang Hanjiang Railway Bridge. This cable-stayed bridge, with a total length of 917.45 meters and a main span of 420 meters, spans over the Danjiangkou Reservoir and is the world's largest high-speed railway cable-stayed bridge with a beam truss composite structure. The difficulty of construction control is extremely high, "said Lu Hongxiong, the project leader of China Railway 11th Bureau, who is responsible for the construction." We have overcome each obstacle step by step
The protection of ecology runs through the entire process of construction.
The Xiling Tunnel of the West Tenth High Speed Railway has a total length of about 18 kilometers. During the construction process, we strictly controlled the construction scope, treated construction sewage, and protected the forest from dust and noise, reducing the disturbance of the project to the Qinling Mountains, waters, flora and fauna in all aspects. At the same time, we finely controlled the construction of the waste disposal site, built a solid defense line for soil and water conservation, and achieved the minimization of construction disturbance and maximization of ecological protection, "said He Xinde, Chief Engineer of the Second Division of the West Tenth High Speed Railway Section 3 of China Railway Seventh Bureau.
The dynamic engine of regional coordinated development
Entering Jingcheng Auto Parts Co., Ltd. in Yunxi County, Shiyan, Hubei Province, the production workshop features precise lifting and lowering of robotic arms, while workers are assembling differential housings for new energy vehicles.
This high-tech enterprise has an annual output of over 3 million differential housings, and its products are exported to Europe, directly serving multiple well-known car companies. The chief engineer of the enterprise, Xie Maomao, stood next to the production line, his phone ringing incessantly: "Due to the opening of the West Tenth High speed Railway, our contacts with several new energy vehicle companies in Xi'an have become noticeably closer
Xie Maomao said that in earlier years, customers had to travel for several hours by car from Wuhan to reach the company's factory area, and many people were reluctant to come due to the distance. Nowadays, high-speed rail takes over an hour to reach directly, and the efficiency is completely different. Taking advantage of the opening of the West Tenth High speed Railway, we are accelerating the construction of an industrial synergy ecosystem that complements the advantages of Xi'an and surrounding areas
The breaking of transportation barriers and the compression of temporal and spatial distance are activating the endogenous driving force for industrial development in counties along the route.
Jin Qiang, Director of the Development and Reform Commission of Shiyan City, said that the West Tenth High speed Railway has opened up a convenient channel for talent, technology, and industry exchange between Qin and Chu, effectively solving development bottlenecks such as weak location and poor resource circulation in mountainous counties, and injecting strong momentum into improving the quality and efficiency of the county economy and innovating breakthroughs.
Relying on the dividends of the high-speed rail corridor, the industrial linkage along the Qin Chu line continues to heat up, high-quality resources flow in both directions, and a new situation of industrial cooperation is emerging in multiple points along the line.
Last November, the "Shiyan Car Enters the Northwest" Commercial Vehicle Production and Sales Matchmaking Conference was held in Xi'an. Many Shiyan car companies signed purchase orders for 1188 commercial vehicles with 168 logistics companies in Shaanxi on site.
The industrial chain loop of 'Shiyan factory, Xi'an road' is accelerating its formation. Xi'an is not only an important consumer market for Shiyan manufacturing, but also a strategic pivot for its radiation throughout the northwest, "said Shang Jinlong, Deputy General Manager of Hubei Sanhuan Automobile Co., Ltd.
In the electronic information industry park of Shanyang High tech Zone deep in the Qinling Mountains, workers are agile and the pace of shipment has significantly accelerated.
In the past, the biggest headache for companies was recruiting. Our companies here offer salaries for senior technical personnel that are five to six thousand yuan higher than those in provincial capitals, but they still cannot retain them, "said the person in charge of the Party Working Committee of Shanyang High tech Zone." Now it's different. Our county has two high-speed railway stations. When we went out to attract investment in May this year, companies and skilled talents heard that there was a direct high-speed railway, and their willingness to invest and settle down was stronger
The development dividends released by the completion of the West Tenth High speed Railway have already broken through the limitations of the Shaanxi Hubei provincial border, radiating and connecting the vast areas of the eastern, central, and western regions. Ma Congcong, Chairman of Ningxia Yuhui Technology Group Co., Ltd., said, "With the high-speed railway, we no longer need to switch trains to connect with customers in Shiyan and Wuhan. The radiation radius of our business will directly extend to the Central China region, and this high-speed railway has added real momentum to the development of the enterprise
Li Hao, Deputy General Manager of Shenzhen Kaikai Biomedical Technology Co., Ltd., said that the company's headquarters and manufacturing base are rooted in Shenzhen, with core branches in Wuhan and Xi'an. The West Ten High Speed Railway has broken through the barriers of linkage between Guangdong, Hubei, and Shaanxi, and built a cross regional R&D "half day work circle", which will greatly improve the collaborative efficiency of enterprise technology research and development, equipment coordination, and talent exchange.
Qin Zunwen, a researcher at the Hubei Academy of Social Sciences, said that the West Tenth High speed Railway not only strengthens the connection between the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins, but also links regional coordinated development strategies such as the Western Development and the Rise of the Central Region, which will effectively consolidate the foundation of common prosperity development.
Cultural and tourism links that blend and coexist with cultural context
At the Xi'an East High speed Railway Station, the clapper artist sang: "When the high-speed railway is built near the Qinling Mountains, it will be difficult and dangerous to return." Inside the carriage, the heroic Qin Opera Opera and the gorgeous and euphemistic Han tune were heard alternately, winning applause.
The Qinling Mountains are divided into north and south, and the Han River connects Shaanxi and Hubei. For thousands of years, the mountains and waters of Qin and Chu have been interdependent, and cultures have been interconnected. The blending and coexistence of northern and southern customs have accumulated a unique cultural heritage.
In the summer season, the ancient town of Manchuan Pass deep in the Qinling Mountains is crowded with tourists. Manchuan Pass Ancient Town is a millennium old town located at the border of Shaanxi and Hubei provinces, known as the "morning Qin, evening Chu". The West Ten High speed Railway has set up stations in the town, completely breaking the transportation constraints of deep mountain towns and allowing cultural and tourism treasures hidden at the border of Qin and Chu to step out of the mountains and embrace the public.
On Qingshan Road, retired cadre Zhou Zongqi stood in front of the Luobang Guild Hall, telling tourists about the history of the ancient town. He waved his arm and switched freely between Guanzhong dialect and the local "Xiahu dialect": "In the past, there were only three to five thousand tourists on weekends, but now with the high-speed railway, it has to be multiplied several times a day. I have to work hard to spread the history and culture of Manchuan Pass
Along the West Ten High Speed Railway, countless "pearls" of Qin Chu cultural integration are scattered, now strung together into a "necklace" by a steel thread.
Observant tourists have discovered that the station itself has also become a "cultural landmark". Li Xin, the project manager of the Shaanxi section of the West Tenth High Speed Railway of China Railway Construction Engineering Group, introduced that Lantian Station is characterized by the phrase "the beauty of jade is blue"; The roof of Shangluo West Station is staggered in height, echoing the shape of the Qinling Mountains; The roof of Manchugawa Pass Station is extracted from the scattered and layered architectural complex of the ancient town, which combines the grandeur of the north with the beauty of the south
The construction of distinctive stations combined with efficient and convenient high-speed rail transportation capacity has reconstructed the spatial and temporal pattern of Qin and Chu, and built a new travel system of "fast forward and slow travel" for the development of cultural tourism in the whole region.
Relying on convenient transportation corridors, cities along the route are working together to integrate cultural and tourism resources, launch measures to benefit the people, and fully activate new vitality in cultural and tourism consumption. The Xi'an Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, in collaboration with cities along the route, has launched the "West Ten High Speed Railway Tourism Annual Card"; Hubei province has taken advantage of the situation and launched more than 30 characteristic travel groups from Shaanxi to Hubei.
The policy of cultural tourism benefiting the people continues to intensify, and the drainage effect continues to be released. Northwest tourists can enjoy a 50% discount on Wudang Mountain tickets with high-speed rail tickets, and Jinsi Gorge offers free tickets to five cities including Wuhan and Shiyan. The list of cultural and tourism discounts along the route continues to expand
The wheels roll forward, and the railway tracks continue to extend. On the first train, Hubei passengers and Shaanxi passengers exchanged their Hot dry noodles and Pita bread soaked in Lamb Soup across the aisle, with a two-way blend of northern and southern flavors and constant laughter.
A high-speed railway, connecting the north and south, linking mountains and rivers, empowering industries, and integrating cultural context, is constantly activating the magnificent momentum of coordinated development between the Qin and Chu regions, and promoting the common prosperity of the eastern, central, and western regions.