The first trial train G55505 of the newly built Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou High-speed Railway departed from Shanghai Hongqiao Station at 9:27 on Nov. 23 to Huzhou Station to test the parameters of the railway operation diagram, marking the start of the line’s trial operation.
The Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou High-speed Railway started construction in June 2020 and completed track-laying work in June 2024. After the static acceptance testing, which began in August, was completed, it entered the joint debugging and joint test stage in September. The railway starts from Shanghai Hongqiao Station, passes through Suzhou City in Jiangsu Province, and ends at Huzhou Station in Zhejiang Province. Its main line is about 163 kilometers long, with a design speed of 350 kilometers per hour. It sets up 8 stations, namely, Shanghai Hongqiao, Shanghai Songjiang, Liantang, Suzhou South, Shengze, Huzhou Nanxun, Huzhou East, and Huzhou. Among them, Shanghai Songjiang, Liantang, Suzhou South, Shengze, Huzhou Nanxun, and Huzhou East are new stations.
The Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou High-speed Railway is a major project in infrastructure interconnectivity between Shanghai, Suzhou and Huzhou, forming an important part of the high-speed railway network in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region. After being put into operation, it will further optimize the current HSR layout around Shanghai and in the YRD region and effectively relieve the transportation pressure of the Shanghai-Nanjing Railway and the Shanghai-Hangzhou Railway by providing another convenient and comfortable means of travel for local residents. It is expected to further improve the YRD rapid rail network, helping promoting connectivity between urban clusters in the region, and to spur the high-quality development of the region as a whole.
