The design of this high-speed rail line is frequent, and many lines are seriously detoured
The rapid expansion of China's high-speed rail network is a remarkable achievement in the country's modernization process. By the end of 2022, China's high-speed rail operating mileage has reached 1550,000 kilometers, ranking first in the world. Behind this achievement, however, there are also some planning and design problems. Many high-speed rail lines have detours, resulting in an unnecessary increase in train mileage, thus reducing transportation efficiency.
Taking the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway as an example, its actual course has increased by nearly 500 kilometers compared to the straight-line mileage, and there are too many intermediate stops, which significantly affects the speed of the train. Similar problems exist with lines such as the Hefu high-speed railway and the Chengdu-Guizhou high-speed railway. According to expert analysis, the main reasons for the detour include avoiding terrain obstacles and meeting the needs of cities along the route.
According to statistics, in 2022, the average travel time of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway increased by more than 25% compared with the straight-line mileage, and some lines even reached 50%. This not only increases the time and economic cost of passengers, but also weakens the transportation efficiency of high-speed rail. Therefore, some experts suggest that the future design of high-speed rail lines should follow the principle of "straightening straight lines and reducing detours" to improve transportation efficiency.
Among the many high-speed rail lines that need to be optimized, the Hehang-Hangzhou high-speed railway is particularly interesting. The 269-kilometre high-speed rail line, which connects Hefei and Hangzhou, has been facing design problems since it opened in 2013. Especially after entering Zhejiang Province, there was an obvious detour of the line, resulting in an unreasonable increase in operating mileage.
Specifically, the route design of the Hehang-Hangzhou high-speed railway after entering Zhejiang Province requires the train to travel south to Jiande and then back to Hangzhou east, which is nearly 40 kilometers more than the straight-line distance. The main reason for the design of this line is to avoid the complex terrain of the Tianmu Mountain area, but this detour poses a significant obstacle to improving the efficiency of high-speed rail transportation and shortening travel times.
With the rapid economic development of the Yangtze River Delta region, the passenger flow of the Hehang-Hangzhou high-speed railway has increased sharply, and the need for line optimization has become increasingly urgent. Ningguo City, located between Xuancheng and Hangzhou, has been facing the problem of inconvenient transportation because it is not covered by the Hehang-Hangzhou high-speed railway. Ningguo has repeatedly put forward suggestions for optimizing the Hehang-Hangzhou high-speed railway line, and suggested that a new connection line from Ningguo to Lin'an should be built to realize the linearization of the line.
Despite the growing call for the optimization of the Hehang-Hangzhou high-speed railway line, the implementation of the Ningguo-Lin'an intercity railway project still needs to be rigorously evaluated and demonstrated. First of all, it is necessary to accurately improve the future passenger flow, and formulate an effective transportation organization plan for this to ensure that the railway can meet the actual demand after construction and avoid waste of resources.
It is necessary to consider the overlap between the project and other existing and planned railway lines in the Yangtze River Delta region, such as the second line of the Nanjing-Hangzhou high-speed railway between Xuanzhou and Hangzhou, to ensure that the lines can be effectively connected and coordinated. In addition, it is necessary to conduct in-depth research on the technical standards and financing of the line to ensure the feasibility and economic benefits of the project.
If the Ningguo-Lin'an intercity railway is finally built, it will have a significant impact on the coordinated development of the Yangtze River Delta region. The line will directly connect Xuancheng, Ningguo and Hangzhou, greatly enhancing the transportation connectivity in the region and promoting the further economic development of the cities along the route.
In addition, the construction of the new line will also promote the development of tourism resources along the route. Famous scenic spots such as Tianmu Mountain and Yandang Mountain will be more accessible to tourists through this railway, thus promoting the development of tourism. In the plan, it is possible to consider setting up stations near these scenic spots, and developing special tourist routes and products to attract more tourists.
In short, the construction of the Ningguo-Lin'an intercity railway can not only optimize the layout of the high-speed rail network in the Yangtze River Delta region, promote the development of regional integration, but also promote the prosperity of tourism along the line. It is hoped that the project plan can be determined and started construction as soon as possible, contributing to the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Delta region.