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  • Category: Travel

The Xi'an to Shiyan high-speed railway (Xishi High-Speed Railway) officially opened for operation on June 30, 2026, with the Xi'an East Railway Station simultaneously commencing service. The opening fully connects the Xi'an-Wuhan high-speed rail corridor, reducing travel time between Wuhan and Xi'an to as little as 2 hours and 41 minutes.

Route and Technical Specifications

The Xishi High-Speed Railway starts at Xi'an East Station, passes through Xi'an and Shangluo in Shaanxi Province and Shiyan in Hubei Province, and connects to the existing Wuhan-Shiyan high-speed railway at Shiyan East Station. The entire line spans approximately 257 kilometers with a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour.

The line features seven stations: Xi'an East, Lantian, Shangluo West, Shanyang, Manchuanguan, Yunxi, and Shiyan East—all newly built except for Shiyan East. The railway traverses the Qinling fold fault zone, presenting complex geological conditions and high ecological protection requirements, which made construction particularly challenging.

Traffic Schedule and Travel Time

During the initial operation phase, the railway department operates 29 pairs of high-speed trains daily, including 25 pairs of cross-line trains. Key travel times include:

  • Xi'an East to Shangluo West: as fast as 24 minutes
  • Xi'an East to Shiyan East: as fast as 1 hour and 10 minutes
  • Xi'an East to Hankou: as fast as 2 hours and 41 minutes

Network Significance

The Xishi High-Speed Railway connects major trunk lines of China's "Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal" high-speed rail network. It links to the Xi'an-Yan'an High-Speed Railway in the north, the Han-Shi High-Speed Railway in the south, and connects east-west to the Xuzhou-Lanzhou, Xi'an-Chengdu, Yinchuan-Xi'an, and Datong-Xi'an high-speed railways. Its opening marks the entry of counties including Lantian, Shanyang, and Yunxi into the high-speed rail era, further optimizing the regional railway network layout.

Pricing

Flexible, differentiated market-based pricing mechanisms have been implemented on the line to accommodate diverse passenger needs.