Xuanmen Bay Scenic Area in Yuhuan, a county-level city in Taizhou. [Photo/WeChat account: tzwhly]

A 37-kilometer high-speed railway linking Wenling and Yuhuan in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, opened on Aug 8, bringing the island region into China's national high-speed rail network.

The Wenling-Yuhuan section of the Hangzhou-Taizhou High-speed Railway has a design speed of 350 km per hour and connects Yuhuan with Wenling and beyond. Travel time between Yuhuan and Wenling has been cut from nearly one hour by car to about 12 minutes by train, with the quickest trip to Hangzhou now under two hours.

The line is short but technically challenging. It comprises 90.34 percent bridges and tunnels, including 17 bridges and 13 tunnels. The 1,796-meter Xuanmen Bay Bridge spans Xuanmen Bay National Wetland Park, connecting the island via rail. Its construction demands careful coordination between construction, navigation, and wetland conservation.

For decades, Yuhuan residents relied on ferries to cross the sea. The opening of the Xuanmen Dam in 1977 ended this reliance, and the Yueqing Bay Bridge, inaugurated in 2018, linked Yuhuan to the expressway system.

The new railway is expected to improve access for tourists, talent, and businesses while also accelerating the delivery of local seafood and Wendan pomelos to markets throughout the Yangtze River Delta region. Additionally, its link with Damaiyu Port opens up possibilities for sea-rail intermodal transportation.