The Yixing High-Speed Railway has begun trial operation, entering the test phase. At 6:40 a.m. on August 18, train 55103 pulled into Xingshan Station and headed toward Yichang along the newly built Yichang-Xingshan high-speed railway (the Yixing HSR) for timetable-parameter testing. This marks the line's formal shift from integrated commissioning to trial operation, with full opening imminent.
The Yixing HSR is 108.38 km long, designed for 350 km/h, running from Yichang East via Yichang North to Xingshan, where it links to the Zhengzhou-Chongqing HSR. Once open, Xingshan-to-Yichang travel drops from two hours to about 20 minutes, Yichang-to-Chongqing to about three hours, and Wuhan-to-Chongqing to about four hours.
After 50 days of commissioning, all tests were completed. Through 'dynamic fine-tuning plus measurement' and multiple rounds of large-machine grinding and tamping, the line's dynamic TQI averaged just 1.25, far better than operating standards and among the best on the national network.
The trial run strictly follows actual operating standards, conducting timetable-parameter tests, fault simulation, emergency-rescue drills and timetable-operation tests to simulate formal service and fully verify transport organization, train handling, density, passenger-service equipment and system compatibility, providing a scientific basis for opening.
Once open, the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu Yangtze River high-speed railway and the Zhengzhou-Chongqing HSR will intersect at Xingshan, opening a fast westbound corridor for Hubei and injecting strong momentum into the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
