Nanjing to Accelerate Its Comprehensive Transportation System Go back »

2008-06-21 | Nanjing

A strategic plan to accelerate Nanjing's comprehensive transportation system construction has been recently proposed by Nanjing Transportation Bureau. According to the plan, ten fast-speed highways, ten highways, four coach stations, as well as 14 water-transportation projects are to be constructed in the next three years to improve the overall condition of the city's transportation.

Ten fast-speed highways include the second phase of Nanjing-Hangzhou Highway, crossing-river tunnel of the Seventy Latitude Road, No.4 Yangtze River Bridge, Northeastern Bypass, Southeastern Bypass, Puyi High-speed highway, Lima High-speed highway, Wutai High-speed highway, reconstruction of Nanjing-Hefei High-speed Highway and Jiangdu-Liuhe High-speed highway.

Among these highways to be constructed in the following three years, Lima high-speed highway will extend Nanjing-Changzhou High-speed highway. When it is completed, it will also serve as a fast-speed path for passengers from the southern part of Jiangsu province and Nanjing to Anhui province. Meanwhile, reconstruction project of Nanjing-Hefei highway will enlarge the present four-lane highway with two or four more lanes. Northeastern Bypass and Southeastern Bypass, when finished, will be connected with No.4 Yangtze River Bridge to complete the second transportation-circle around Nanjing. Passing Jiangning district, Xixia district, Liuhe district and Pukou district, this second transportation-circle will be located about 10 miles away from the bypass road circling the city. When it is constructed, another area of 500 square miles large will be included as part of Nanjing's main city area.

In short, the overall status of Nanjing's comprehensive transportation system will be upgraded to a higher level when such plan as proposed by Nanjing Transportation Bureau, particularly the last part of the plan on 14 water-transportation projects to be constructed between Shangfang Town and Tuqiao Town in Jiangning district, is carried out.

In addition to the above mentioned plan, Nanjing has also seen other developments which make the city well connected with other areas of Jiangsu.

The Hefei-Nanjing railway line, the first high-class railway line for passenger transport passed Nanjing has open to traffic on April 18. 3 trains will run directly from Nanjing to Hefei every day and it only takes 1 hour and 5 minutes.

It is said that the Hefei-Nanjing railway line is a high-class special line for passenger transport with the speed limit of 200 km per hour. It is also an essential part of national express railway net for passenger transport which connects with Xi'an-Hefei railway, Wuhan-Chongqing-Chengdu railway and Beijing-Shanghai railway.

After the completion of Hefei-Wuhan railway section in 2010 or so, the mileage between Hefei and Wuhan will be shortened from 565 km to 351 km. At that time, the train will start from Nanjing, going through Dabie Mountain and reach Wuhai in less than 3 hours.

The Hefei-Nanjing railway line will run 8 powered trains, among which 3 will run directly from Hefei to Nanjing, 5 will run from Hefei to Shanghai and stop in Nanjing in between. Thereafter, 8 powered trains run on the Nanjing-Hefei railway line every day.

For city workers who enjoy the convenient transportation by underground, a more comprehensive network of underground is expected to establish within the next few years.

At present, Nanjing has metro line No.1 open for the public, as well as the south-extension metro of line 1, metro line 2 and its east-extension metro are being constructed. Meanwhile, the city has proposed to departments concerned its plan of constructing metro line 3 in 2010 and is given permission to carry out the proposal. When completed, it will serve as a crossing-river tunnel, relieving the traffic pressure the city's experiencing now. 

Starting from South Nanjing Station being constructed right now, the 30.8-mile long metro line 3 will extend along Ning-Li Road into the north to Xinzhuang, passing Changle Road, Jiankang Road, South Taiping Road, North Taiping Road and the municipal government. Then, it will take a turn from Xinzhuang and cross Binjiang Road and arrive at Linyang Station, Pukou in the northwest.

According to the Feasibility Report of Metro Line 3, this line will have 19 stations established on its way, four of which are on-ground stations in the north of Yangtze River while the rest 15 underground in the south of Yangtze River.

However, news from Nanjing Transportation Department says that the feasibility was only a draft and the final version of construction was still to be discussed in the future.