Wuhan Metropolitan Area Intercity Railway

Wuhan Metropolitan Area Intercity Railway (Chinese: 武汉城市圈城际铁路; pinyin: Wǔhàn chéngshì quān chéngjì tiělù) is a network of high-speed commuter railways in and around Wuhan, the capital of the Chinese province Hubei. The first line of the system opened at the end of 2013; several more are under construction.

System composition

Map of the planned system

The network will include the following lines:

• The Wuhan–Xianning Intercity Railway, opened on December 28, 2013.^[1] The system's first line connects Wuhan's Wuchang Railway Station with the city's southern suburbs and the city of Xianning.^[2] Initially, the service is very limited (a few trains a day), but eventually it will be brought to a commuter frequency.

• The Wuhan–Huangshi Intercity Railway and Wuhan–Huanggang Intercity Railway share tracks within Wuhan's eastern suburbs and then splits into two branches, the Huangshi line goes toward Ezhou, Huangshi, and Daye, while the Huanggang line crosses the Yangtze River to Huanggang. The construction of the line was largely completed by the end of December 2013.^[3][4][5] After a period of testing, the two lines opened on June 18, 2014.^[6]

• The Wuhan–Xiaogan Intercity Railway will serve the city's northern suburbs, the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, and the city of Xiaogan. This line is also under construction. It is expected to open in 2015.^[5]

Preliminary plans exist for the construction of more lines (to Tianmen and Qianjiang) as well.

Notes