Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Transport jointly issued the "Three-Year Action Plan for Major Transportation Infrastructure Construction." The reporter learned that the Hangzhou-Wenzhou Railway (Wenzhou to Yiwu section) and the Zhejiang Wencheng to Taishun Expressway are included, meaning the two major projects are “set in stone” and can enter the actual construction phase after preparatory work is completed.
The action plan specifies that the Wencheng to Taishun Expressway is scheduled to start construction in 2017, with a new line of 58 kilometers and an investment of 10.9 billion yuan. The Hangzhou-Wenzhou Railway (Wenzhou to Yiwu section) is scheduled to start construction in 2018, with a new railway of 173 kilometers and an investment of 22.5 billion yuan.
According to reports, there are currently two railway routes from Hangzhou to Wenzhou: the Hangzhou-Changsha Railway-Jinhua-Lishui-Wenzhou Railway and the Hangzhou-Ningbo Railway-Ningbo-Taizhou-Wenzhou Railway, both taking over two hours. The Hangzhou-Wenzhou Railway adopts a straightened route, reducing the travel time between Hangzhou and Wenzhou to about one hour, greatly shortening the time distance between the two places and laying a solid transportation foundation for the integration of the two city circles.
Previously, the Hangzhou-Wenzhou Railway had been listed in the first batch of social capital investment railway demonstration projects announced by the National Development and Reform Commission in 2016. Once the private investor is determined, the Hangzhou-Wenzhou Railway may become the first high-speed rail project in China to officially introduce social capital. It is reported that several private enterprises such as Dongyang Hengdian Group and Chint Group have expressed investment intentions.
The Wencheng to Taishun Expressway starts from Zhangtai in Wencheng County, connects to the planned Liyang-Ningde National Expressway Jingning-Wencheng section and the under-construction Wencheng-Ruian Expressway, passes through Shanxi, Xinpu, Xiaocun, and ends near Youyi Bridge in Taishun County (Zhejiang-Fujian border), connecting to the under-construction Liyang-Ningde National Expressway Fu'an-Shouning section. The project will also simultaneously build three interchange connecting lines, totaling about 5 kilometers, and set up interchanges at five locations: Wencheng, Shanxi, Xinpu, Xiaocun, and Taishun. Last month, the Ministry of Transport officially reviewed and approved the feasibility study report of the Wencheng to Taishun Expressway. According to reports, the construction of the Wencheng to Taishun Expressway is of great significance for improving the national and regional expressway network, improving regional traffic conditions, and promoting the development of advantageous resources and economic and social development along the route. Its completion and opening to traffic will also mark a successful conclusion to Zhejiang Province's goal of achieving "expressways in every county" for inland counties.