Copyright 2024 - Ningbo Life / Ningbo Expat

Cixi greets the “double railway” era

Following the construction of the Xincheng Avenue Station of Ningbo-Cixi Railway this month, the Cixi citizens will witness the construction of the Zhejiang Section of Nantong-Suzhou-Jiaxing-Ningbo High-speed Railway, another historical event in the county’s transportation history. As the leading county in terms of economy in Zhejiang Province and an important pole in the economic development of Ningbo, Cixi County will enter the era of “double railways” (high-speed railways and county-level railways), and the history of having no high-speed railways will end.

“The advancement of transportation projects will bring new opportunities for Cixi’s urban construction, economic development, talent introduction and rural revitalization, and inject new momentum into its high-quality development.” according to a relevant person in charge from Cixi County Government. The two railways, like the “artery” of vitality, redefining time with speed and constantly rewriting space with connectivity, will promote the county’s full integration into the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta area

and serve as the “vanguard” of Chinese modernization practice at the county level.

Located in the geometric center of the Yangtze River Delta area, Cixi County is a “Type II county” with a permanent urban resident population of over one million people, as well as a “exemplary student” of the county-level economy.

In 2008, the Hangzhou Bay Cross-sea Bridge was completed and opened to traffic, becoming the “golden channel” connecting Zhejiang Province to Shanghai and even the Yangtze River Delta area. As a result, Cixi County has entered the era of “bridge economy”, and has leapt to the forefront of the national top 100 counties in terms of comprehensive strength. Now, the construction of Ningbo-Cixi Railway and the Nantong-Suzhou-Jiaxing-Ningbo High speed Railway will also pave the way for Cixi County to integrate into the metropolitan circle of Ningbo, Hangzhou and Shanghai.

As is reported, the Ningbo-Cixi Railway line is about 64 kilometers long, with 13 stations. The total investment is estimated to be 32 billion yuan, and it is planned to open to traffic by the end of 2026. Eight out of the 13 stations along the line are in Cixi County. “From the map, these stations not only connect the whole Cixi County horizontally, but also connect Jiangbei District, Zhenhai District and Cixi County from the south to the north. Considering the maximum speed of 160km per hour of the line, the distance between the main and the auxiliary centers of Ningbo will be greatly shortened.” said Huang Guojun, who is in charge of the Cixi Command Department for railway and rail transit construction.

As an “artery” line, upon completion, the Nantong-Suzhou-Jiaxing-Ningbo High-speed Railway will reduce the time from Cixi to Shanghai Hongqiao Station to about 35 minutes and that to the central urban area of Ningbo to 16 minutes. The “one hour traffic circle” from Cixi County to Suzhou and Shanghai is expected to be formed. “For Cixi people and the commuters working in Cixi County, the transportation time from the county to the surrounding cities will be greatly shortened.” said Huang Guojun. The completion of this high-speed railway will lay a foundation for Cixi County to further undertake the high-quality resources of Ningbo and Shanghai

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