◎Written by Jiang He

Having cemented its status as the leading high-speed rail province, Shandong remains undeterred in its ambitions.

By the end of 2024, Shandong has witnessed significant progress in several high-speed rail projects.

On November 4, the Jining Municipal Development and Reform Commission issued an announcement on the Shandong Government Procurement Network detailing the results of a competitive evaluation for government procurement services, proposing the compilation of a pre-feasibility study report for the Jinan-Jining Railway. This indicates that the long-planned Jinan-Jining high-speed rail project is poised for a revival.

A week prior, on October 28, the Qingdao Municipal Transport Bureau published a competitive negotiation announcement for the Qingdao Railway Hub Layout Planning Research Project on the China Government Procurement Network, emphasizing the necessity of projects such as the Qingdao-Lianyungang-Yancheng high-speed rail and the Qingdao-Pingdu-Laizhou Railway.

These three high-speed rail projects hold significant strategic importance:

The Jinan-Jining high-speed rail will share passenger flow from the Shandong section of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail, forming the "left and right arms" of the Shandong section alongside the Jinan-Zaozhuang high-speed rail, which commenced construction last year.

The Qingdao-Lianyungang-Yancheng high-speed rail represents the most convenient route for Qingdao to connect directly with the Yangtze River Delta. Upon completion, Qingdao will be able to reach Shanghai directly through the coastal high-speed rail corridor, connecting with important hubs like Hefei and Wuhan. The direct journey from Qingdao to Shanghai will take approximately three hours.

The Qingdao-Pingdu-Laizhou Railway significantly facilitates travel within the Qingdao metropolitan area, fostering closer integration between Pingdu and Laizhou with the main city of Qingdao.

Apart from these three planning-stage projects, Shandong currently has six high-speed rail projects under construction: Xiong'an-Shangqiu, Tianjin-Weifang, Jinan-Binzhou, Jinan-Zaozhuang, Weifang-Suqian, and Qingdao Connection Line. These projects span a total of 1,340 kilometers and involve a total investment of 268.9 billion yuan.

Among them, the Xiong'an-Shangqiu, Tianjin-Weifang, Weifang-Suqian, and Qingdao Connection Line projects, along with the planned Qingdao-Lianyungang-Yancheng high-speed rail, are all inter-provincial high-speed rail initiatives.

Shandong's focus on developing inter-provincial high-speed rail is driven by the full-scale construction of the second Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail line, accelerating connections between Shandong and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Yangtze River Delta. Additionally, as a strategic fulcrum connecting the north and south of China, Shandong aims to establish faster and more convenient transportation corridors for north-south travel, enhancing cooperation and promoting integration between cities like Jinan and Qingdao with Beijing and Shanghai.

With the approval of the national-level Qingdao and Jinan metropolitan areas, Shandong must take further action in constructing metropolitan high-speed rail and intercity railways. Drawing from the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta's experiences with transportation-driven urban integration, Shandong seeks to improve its metropolitan transportation network and foster urban integration within these areas.

Especially when compared to provinces like Jiangsu and Zhejiang, located in the Yangtze River Delta economic circle and with earlier high-speed rail developments, Shandong's high-speed rail construction exhibits notable shortcomings.

For instance, several coastal cities in Zhejiang, such as Ningbo, Zhoushan, and Wenzhou, are also located at transportation peripheries but are constructing cross-sea high-speed railways. This is partly due to these lines' early inclusion in national strategic corridors and partly related to the integration of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port and the construction of the Ningbo-Zhoushan National Bulk Commodity Storage and Transportation Base. According to the "Construction Plan for the Bulk Commodity Resource Allocation Hub of China (Zhejiang) Free Trade Pilot Zone" approved by the State Council in November 2024, the bulk commodity resource allocation hub is primarily based in Zhoushan.

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In contrast, there is no true 350 km/h high-speed rail link between Qingdao and the two major ports of Rizhao. The disparity is evident.

To better advance railway projects, Qingdao established a railway construction management mechanism in October 2024, assuming all responsibilities previously held by the Qingdao Railway Construction Management Command and Dongjiakou-Yishuixi Railway Construction Leading Group. The new Qingdao Railway Construction Management Command is headed by the mayor.

This new mechanism focuses on two key tasks: land acquisition and demolition along the route, and investment and financing.

For Qingdao, beyond the ongoing Qingdao Connection Line of the second Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail, critical inter-provincial corridors include the Qingdao-Lianyungang-Yancheng high-speed rail and the strategically important Jiaozhou Bay cross-sea railway.

The 2016 "Medium and Long-Term Railway Network Plan" clearly lists the coastal corridor as one of the main corridors of the "Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal" high-speed railway network. The three ongoing cross-sea high-speed railways in Zhejiang, the completed cross-sea high-speed railway in Fujian, and the ongoing cross-sea high-speed railway in Guangdong are all integral parts of this coastal corridor.

By approximately 2028, this coastal corridor, connecting economically developed coastal provinces like Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Shandong Peninsula, Yangtze River Delta, West Coast of Taiwan Strait, and Pearl River Delta, will likely only lack a few segments related to Qingdao that lack 350 km/h high-speed rail.

At least, this is the current situation within Shandong Province.

Shandong's coastal corridor comprises the Qingdao-Rongcheng Intercity Railway with a design speed of 250 km/h, the Qingdao-Yancheng Railway (a mixed passenger and freight railway with a design speed of 200 km/h, typically reaching only 160 km/h), the Weifang-Yantai High-Speed Rail (opened on October 21, 2024), and the Tianjin-Weifang High-Speed Rail (expected to complete and open in 2027).

From 1,240 kilometers of operational high-speed rail in 2018, ranking seventh nationally with a high-speed rail density ranking thirteenth, to now exceeding 3,000 kilometers of operational high-speed rail, ranking first nationally, Shandong's achievements in high-speed rail construction over recent years are evident.

Specifically, the high-speed railways completed and opened in Shandong since 2018 can be categorized into three types:

Firstly, addressing shortcomings in high-speed rail in weaker regions like southwestern Shandong, exemplified by the fully operational Rizhao-Lankao High-Speed Railway.

Secondly, densifying the high-speed rail network between economically strong cities like Jinan, Qingdao, Yantai, and Weifang, such as the Jinan-Qingdao High-Speed Rail, Weifang-Laiyang High-Speed Rail, Jinan-Laiyang High-Speed Rail, Laiyang-Rongcheng High-Speed Rail, and Weifang-Yantai High-Speed Rail.

Thirdly, focusing on the construction of inter-provincial corridors, including the Jinan-Zhengzhou High-Speed Rail and the Zhuangzhai-Lankao section of the Rizhao-Lankao High-Speed Rail.

With vigorous action, Shandong's cities have also made substantial breakthroughs in high-speed rail construction.

Weifang firmly holds the position of having the most high-speed rail mileage in Shandong, accounting for over one-tenth of the province's total high-speed rail mileage.

Moreover, Weifang is also advancing the construction of the Weifang-Suqian High-Speed Rail and Qingdao Connection Line. Upon completion, Weifang's high-speed rail mileage will reach 572.7 kilometers, maintaining its provincial lead.

Jinan has taken a significant step towards establishing a "mickey mouse"-shaped high-speed rail hub.

Particularly, the Jinan-Zhengzhou High-Speed Rail, deemed the "most important high-speed rail under construction and planning in Jinan," will drastically reduce travel time between Jinan and Zhengzhou, as well as between Jinan and cities like Changsha, Chongqing, Wuhan, and Xi'an via Zhengzhou.

Qingdao and Yantai have achieved "county-to-county high-speed rail connectivity," exemplified by the opening of the Weifang-Laiyang High-Speed Rail and Laiyang-Rongcheng High-Speed Rail, further strengthening cooperation between counties in these two cities.

With the opening of the Rizhao-Lankao High-Speed Rail, Heze, Linyi, Jining, and other cities have also entered the high-speed rail era.

Currently, among Shandong's 16 prefecture-level cities, only Dongying lacks a high-speed rail connection.

Binzhou only has its county-level city Zouping connected to high-speed rail, while the main urban area remains unconnected.

In contrast, Fujian achieved the nation's first "city-to-city high-speed rail connectivity" in 2018, followed by Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hebei, Guangdong, and other provinces.

According to plans, Hubei's Jingjing High-Speed Rail will open by the end of this year, making Hubei the tenth province in China to achieve "city-to-city high-speed rail connectivity."

The Tianjin-Weifang High-Speed Rail, passing through Dongying, is expected to complete and open in 2027, at which point Shandong will achieve "city-to-city high-speed rail connectivity." With the approval of the national-level Jinan and Qingdao metropolitan areas, and adhering to the National Development and Reform Commission's rigid requirements for a "one-hour commuting circle" in metropolitan areas, the Jinan and Qingdao metropolitan areas must further enhance their high-speed rail supporting infrastructure.

The "Jinan Metropolitan Area Development Plan (2024-2030)" clearly stipulates the need to actively promote the Jinan-Binzhou High-Speed Rail, Jinan-Zaozhuang High-Speed Rail, and Dezhou-Shangqiu High-Speed Rail.

With the opening of the Weifang-Yantai High-Speed Rail, Laizhou in the Qingdao metropolitan area has been integrated into the national high-speed rail network, with the opening of the high-speed rail between Laizhou and Qingdao further strengthening their connection.

Outside Shandong, Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang have also been making substantial progress in recent years to develop transportation networks between economically strong cities within their provinces.

Zhejiang, in particular, is focusing on developing cross-sea high-speed railways along the coastal high-speed rail's important national strategic corridor.

For instance, the ongoing Ningbo-Zhoushan Railway includes the world's longest undersea high-speed rail tunnel – the Jintang Undersea Tunnel of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Railway.

The Jintang Undersea Tunnel is 16.18 kilometers long, extending from Beilun District in Ningbo in the west to Jintang Town, Zhoushan City, in the east. Construction officially began in October and is expected to be fully completed by the end of 2026.

The Ningbo-Zhoushan Railway is anticipated to meet traffic conditions by 2028, reducing travel time between Zhoushan and Ningbo to about 26 minutes and between Zhoushan and Hangzhou to about 77 minutes, forming a one-hour high-speed rail transportation circle in Zhejiang.

Another example is the Wenzhou-Fuzhou High-Speed Rail, connecting Wenzhou in Zhejiang with Ningde and Fuzhou in Fujian, marking Wenzhou's first cross-sea high-speed rail.

The Wenzhou-Fuzhou High-Speed Rail spans 81.134 kilometers within Wenzhou, with two sections involving the sea. Section 1 traverses the Oujiang Estuary sea area in Longwan District, with a sea length of about 5.5 kilometers; Section 2 crosses Feiyun River in Ruian City, with a sea length of about 1.6 kilometers.

Currently, the Wenzhou-Fuzhou High-Speed Rail is accelerating preliminary feasibility study approval and preliminary design survey-related work, with construction expected to officially commence in 2025. Upon completion, at a speed of 350 km/h, the entire journey will take less than one hour, integrating Ningde and Fuzhou into Wenzhou's "one-hour transportation circle." Guangdong and Jiangsu are prioritizing the development of more convenient intercity railways.

On May 26, the Guangzhou-Foshan South Ring and Foshan-Dongguan Intercity Railways were officially inaugurated, linking up with the previously operational Foshan-Zhaoqing Intercity Railway and Dongguan-Huizhou Intercity Railway. This integration forms a "four-line" through-train system spanning 258 kilometers, seamlessly connecting the five cities of Zhaoqing, Foshan, Guangzhou, Dongguan, and Huizhou.

This "metro loop" seamlessly brings the central areas of Foshan and Dongguan into Guangzhou's half-hour commuting radius, while also placing the heart of Zhaoqing and Huizhou within Guangzhou's one-hour commuting sphere.

In June of last year, the Suzhou Metro Line 11 was also opened, connecting with the Shanghai Metro Line 11. This link created a "one-city, one-line" scenario encompassing Shanghai, Suzhou, and Kunshan, fostering deeper integration between the Suzhou urban area and the Yangtze River Delta region.

To harness the rich tourism resources of the Yangtze River Delta, plans are underway to construct an intercity railway dedicated to the water town tourism route, connecting Suzhou, Shanghai, and Hangzhou.

The water town tourism intercity railway is designed as a "super metro," traversing Qiantang District in eastern Hangzhou, crossing the Qiantang River to the north, reaching Haining, passing through Tongxiang City and Nanxun District of Huzhou City, exiting Zhejiang Province into Jiangsu Province, traversing Wujiang District of Suzhou City to the east, and finally arriving in Qingpu District of Shanghai.

Recently, the bidding process for the engineering survey and design project of the Jiangsu segment of this railway, as well as the Wujiang-Nanbu New Town Bacha segment of the Rutong-Suzhou-Huzhou Intercity Railway, has commenced.