On April 13th, officials from China Railway announced the completion of a crucial project for the Xi'an to Ankang high-speed rail: the Lijia Mountain Tunnel has been successfully penetrated.
Located in Renhekou Town, Xunyang County, Ankang City, Shaanxi Province, the Lijia Mountain Tunnel is 2,878 meters long with a maximum depth of 312 meters.
The tunnel is situated in the South Qinling Gorge area, traversing complex mountainous terrain with high safety risks. Despite numerous challenges, such as high rainfall and long flood seasons in Southern Shaanxi, the construction team overcame these difficulties to ensure the smooth progress of the project.
The Xi'an-Ankang high-speed rail is a vital part of China's "Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal" high-speed rail network, linking the Baoji (Bao) to Lianyungang (Yin) corridor with the Beijing to Kunming corridor. The newly constructed main line is approximately 171 kilometers long with a designed speed of up to 350 km/h.
The line begins at the planned Xi'an East Station, passes through Chan River and Qinling mountains, and several towns, before ending at the planned Ankang West Station.
Once operational, the Xi'an to Ankang high-speed rail will significantly reduce the travel time from the current approximate three hours to less than one hour, greatly shortening the distance between the Guanzhong city cluster and the southern Shaanxi Qinba mountain area, and facilitating transportation between these regions.
