On the main axis of Changsha's eastward development, construction of China's first municipal (suburban) maglev railway — the Changsha-Liuyang Municipal (Suburban) Maglev Railway (hereinafter referred to as the "Chang-Liu Express Line") — is in full swing. Builders are seizing the spring season to catch up on schedules and overcome difficulties, and a "golden link" connecting Changsha and Liuyang is rapidly taking shape. In the future, it will take only 25 minutes from Liuyang to Changsha Huanghua International Airport and only 43 minutes to Changsha South High-Speed Railway Station. More importantly, the Chang-Liu Express Line is the world's fastest-designed conventional-conduction short-stator rapid maglev line, and it will provide a "Hunan model" for municipal maglev construction across the country, becoming a demonstration and leading line for Hunan maglev going global. Recently, reporters visited the construction site of the Chang-Liu Express Line to touch the growing pulse of this city-integration artery and feel the strong momentum of Changsha's high-quality development.

On March 13, at the tunnel construction site, boring equipment roared, engineering vehicles shuttled busily, and builders were working intensely and in an orderly manner. All photos by Huang Qiqing, Changsha Evening News all-media reporter.

Chang-Liu Express Line construction hits the "fast-forward button"

On March 13, the reporter drove from Changsha to Liuyang. After exiting at the Yong'an interchange of the Hangzhou-Changsha Expressway and continuing on, scenes of accelerated construction of the Chang-Liu Express Line appeared all along the route. Elevated pier columns stood in rows, tower crane jibs swung, and builders advanced the project in an orderly manner with the support of machinery and equipment. Not far away, some stations of the Chang-Liu Express Line had already topped out, with their embryonic form visible.

Passing through mountains and forests, the car arrived near the Jiaoxiling Tunnel on the Liuyang-Yong'an Highway, and the reporter entered the construction site of Jiaoxiling No. 2 Tunnel of the Chang-Liu Express Line. Looking from the tunnel entrance, tunnel boring was progressing steadily, and the light deep inside the tunnel silhouetted the busy figures of the builders.

"Jiaoxiling No. 2 Tunnel is a key control project of the Chang-Liu Express Line and the longest tunnel on the entire line, measuring more than 2,260 meters, and more than 500 meters have been successfully bored so far," Zhong Ke, assistant general manager of Changsha Rail Transit Group and general manager of the Construction Company, told the reporter. Since construction began in November 2024, the Chang-Liu Express Line has been advancing at full speed. At present, the project has moved from foundation construction to multiple simultaneous work fronts, demonstrating the speed and efficiency of Changsha's key project construction.

It is understood that the Chang-Liu Express Line adopts a one-time planning and phased construction model. The first phase, from Huanghua Airport to Jili, is 39.52 kilometers long, including 31.59 kilometers of elevated line, 2.70 kilometers of underground line, and 4.99 kilometers of mountain tunnels, with 7 new elevated stations and 1 vehicle depot. After completion, it will operate through-connected with the existing Changsha Maglev Express Line and is scheduled to open to traffic in 2029.

Currently, project construction has hit the "fast-forward button": of the 7 stations along the entire line, 4 have entered the main structure construction stage; pile foundation, pile cap, and pier column construction on the elevated section is proceeding in an orderly manner; main tunnel construction of the mined section beneath the airport is progressing steadily; and among the 7 mountain tunnels, No. 2, No. 4, and No. 7 tunnels have entered the main tunnel construction phase.

"2026 is a key year for the construction of the Chang-Liu Express Line, and the call to advance from foundation construction to main structure formation has already been sounded," Zhong Ke said. This year, six core tasks will be completed: 6 stations will top out, the mined section beneath the airport will complete construction beneath the runway, No. 1, No. 2, and No. 7 mountain tunnels will be fully completed, No. 4 and No. 6 mountain tunnels will complete 80% and 85% of their work respectively, all elevated pier column construction will be completed, beam yard construction will be completed and beam fabrication will start in March, and beam erection will officially begin in September.

Three major innovations set a new benchmark for maglev projects

After putting on protective equipment, the reporter followed Zhang Hao, deputy director of the Production Management Department of the Chang-Liu Municipal Section 4 Project of China Railway No. 5 Engineering Group, deep into Jiaoxiling No. 2 Tunnel. Along the way, tunnel boring equipment roared, engineering vehicles shuttled busily, and builders were working intensely and in an orderly manner, presenting a bustling scene of vigorous activity.

Zhang Hao told the reporter that the Chang-Liu Express Line is highly difficult to build; for example, Jiaoxiling No. 2 Tunnel features complex geological conditions. The steady progress of the entire project would be impossible without the word "innovation": "It can be said that every meter of boring benefits from the entire project team's overcoming difficulties and continuous innovation."

During the interviews, the reporter found that at the front line of Chang-Liu Express Line construction, "innovation" is the keyword running through the entire construction process. Zhong Ke told the reporter: "The Chang-Liu Express Line has three core innovation breakthroughs, each of which is solid technical tackling and model exploration."

"The Chang-Liu Express Line has overcome multiple technical challenges, with a design speed of 160 kilometers per hour, making it the world's fastest conventional-conduction short-stator rapid maglev line at present," Zhong Ke said. Raising the design speed is an important manifestation of the development of the maglev industry and technological accumulation. The Chang-Liu Express Line not only breaks the current bottleneck in which the design speed of low- and medium-speed maglev lines in commercial operation worldwide does not exceed 140 kilometers per hour, but also reserves conditions for future 200-kilometer-per-hour maglev tests, demonstrating the advantages of Hunan's maglev industry.

At the same time, the Chang-Liu Express Line is China's first municipal railway using the maglev system, taking the lead in applying maglev technology to municipal rail transit. Compared with traditional wheel-rail systems, the maglev system features flexible route selection, environmental friendliness, and relatively low engineering cost. More importantly, through systematic cost-reduction optimization, the Chang-Liu Express Line has cut its approved investment estimate by 2 billion yuan, a reduction of 16.3%, becoming a demonstration line for cost reduction and efficiency improvement in Hunan's maglev engineering, further highlighting the competitive advantages of the maglev system and providing a new sample for municipal rail transit development across the country.

"In terms of operation, the Chang-Liu Express Line innovatively achieves the dual empowerment of flexible operation and green economy," Zhong Ke said. The Chang-Liu Express Line will adopt a public-transit-style operation model of "all-station stops plus major-station stops," achieving both rapid access between important stations and coverage of commuting needs at stations along the line. Under the major-station express train model, it will take 11 minutes from Liuyang urban area to Liuyang Economic Development Zone, 25 minutes to Huanghua Airport, and only 43 minutes to Changsha South High-Speed Railway Station.

"Golden link" activates new momentum for regional development

The Chang-Liu Express Line is like a "golden link" — not only a transportation artery connecting Changsha and Liuyang, but also an economic bond activating regional development.

Zhong Ke revealed that for residents of the two places, once the Chang-Liu Express Line is completed and opened to traffic, it will not only greatly shorten the time-space distance between Changsha and Liuyang but also comprehensively upgrade the travel experience. In the future, there are plans to incorporate the Chang-Liu Express Line into the scope of the Changsha rail transit network, allowing residents of both places to enjoy more affordable travel costs. At the same time, the Chang-Liu Express Line will operate through-connected with the existing Changsha Maglev Express Line, which also means it can seamlessly connect with the Changsha rail transit network, making cross-city travel more convenient and efficient.

For regional development, the significance of the Chang-Liu Express Line is reflected in multiple aspects: promoting integration, strengthening radiation, optimizing the system, boosting cultural tourism, and improving efficiency.

Opening the project drawings, Zhong Ke told the reporter that the Chang-Liu Express Line further extends the existing maglev line to Liuyang, expanding the influence scope of the Changsha rail transit network and greatly enhancing Changsha's radiation capacity. At the same time, its route alignment also coincides with the northern (Chongqing-Changsha-Xiamen) development belt of the Chang-Zhu-Tan metropolitan area, connecting Changsha's main urban area, Jinyang New Town, and Liuyang's main urban area. It will further activate resources such as talent, technology, industry, and cultural tourism along the line, accelerate the interconnection of factors, achieve complementary advantages and win-win results, promote the integrated development of Chang-Zhu-Tan, and inject continuous momentum into regional high-quality development.

The Chang-Liu Express Line is not just a transportation line, but also a line of integration and hope. It breaks down the spatial barriers between Changsha and Liuyang and brings together many innovative achievements of Hunan's maglev technology, bringing Hunan's intelligent manufacturing to a broader stage.

In this vibrant spring day, the reporter visited Changsha's rail transit construction sites, where striving figures could be seen everywhere: the western extension phase II of Line 2 is sprinting toward its goal, the eastern extension of Line 6 and the eastern extension of the maglev line are about to unveil their mysteries, and the northern extension of Line 4 and phase I of Line 7 are accelerating. The reporter learned that Changsha's rail transit construction is speeding up, with plans to achieve initial passenger operation of the western extension phase II of Line 2 this year, and the eastern extension of Line 6 and the eastern extension of the maglev line will operate simultaneously with Terminal 3 of Changsha Huanghua International Airport.

Since Changsha entered the "subway era" in 2014, Changsha's rail transit has always resonated with urban development, leading urban development with a continuously improving network layout. Today, Changsha's rail transit is no longer merely a means of transportation. It is not only a city名片 showcasing the unique character of a city of mountains, waters, and islands, but also a powerful engine that activates the city's resource endowments and continuously injects momentum into Changsha, this giant magnetic field.

Rails as the pulse, growing together with the city. In the opening year of the "15th Five-Year Plan," a batch of rail transit projects represented by the Chang-Liu Express Line are accelerating their growth across the Star City, connecting opportunities and hope and painting an even more splendid picture of high-quality development.

Source: Changsha Evening News