Hanyi Railway

Hankou-Yichang Railway (simplified Chinese: 汉宜铁路; traditional Chinese: 漢宜鐵路), or Hanyi Railway, is a 291-kilometre (181 mi) longhigh-speed railway between Hankou (a borough of Wuhan) and Yichang in Hubei Province, China. The railway forms a section of the Huhanrong Passenger Dedicated Line from Shanghai to Wuhan to Chengdu. The Hanyi Railway was completed in spring 2012 and started commercial operations on July 1, 2012. Adjacent high-speed rail sections, the Hefei–Wuhan High-Speed Railway to the east and the Yichang−Wanzhou Railway to the west, opened respectively in April 2009 and December 2010.

Unlike most other high-speed railways in China which generally follow the route of pre-existing railway lines, the Hanyi Railway takes a new, more direct, route between Wuhan and Yichang, bringing rail service for the first time to cities along the Yangtze River in central Hubei such as Hanchuan, Xiantao, and Qianjiang. Jingzhou, previously only served by a branch rail line to Jingmen to the north, now enjoys frequent through-train service to Wuhan and Yichang.

According to a news item from the Wuhan City Government dated July 10, 2008, the plans for the railways were finalized at the time, and the construction was to begin shortly. According to the plans, the construction should have been completed by the end of 2011, however, this deadline was not met. A more recent schedule (confirmed in early May 2012 by Hubei provincial authorities) is for the railway to open in May 2012. It is constructed by the China Railway 12th Bureau Group Co.

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