Travel between Huzhou and Shanghai cut to 55 minutes

The travel time between Huzhou in Zhejiang Province and Shanghai Hongqiao will be cut to 55 minutes when the Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou High-Speed Railway opens on Thursday, China Railway has announced.

The 164-kilometer rail route starts from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, runs through Suzhou in Jiangsu Province, and ends at Huzhou Railway Station.

Construction began in June, 2020, and the line has a designated speed of up to 350 kilometers per hour. It will serve as a key line for the high-speed railway system in the Yangtze River Delta region.

There are eight stations along the line: Shanghai Hongqiao, Shanghai Songjiang, Liantang, Suzhou South, Shengze, Huzhou Nanxun, Huzhou East, and Huzhou. Of those, Shanghai Hongqiao and Huzhou stations existed, while the other six are newly built.

In the initial phase of its operation, the railway department will arrange passengers trains according to both regular and peak schedules, with up to 38 cross-line trains operating daily.

Passengers can reach Shanghai Songjiang, Suzhou South, and Huzhou Nanxun stations from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in as little as 16 minutes, 26 minutes, and 43 minutes, respectively.

The fastest journey from Shanghai Hongqiao to Huzhou takes just 55 minutes, 55 minutes faster than the previous route via the Shanghai-Kunming High-Speed Railway and the Nanjing-Hangzhou High-Speed Railway.

Shanghai Hongqiao has also launched its first CRH train to Hangzhou West Station, with the fastest journey taking just 78 minutes.

After adjustments to the train schedule in the first quarter next year, the number of trains operating daily on the railway will increase to a maximum of 229, according to China Railway.