With the official opening and operation of the Chongqing Xiamen high-speed railway located in the northwest of Hunan Province from Yiyang to Changsha, it not only ends the history of no high-speed railway in Yiyang, but also marks that all 14 cities and prefectures in Hunan Province have really achieved access to high-speed railway.

After Fujian, Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hebei, Guangdong and Henan, it has become the eighth large province in China with "high-speed railway for all cities". The total operating mileage of high-speed railway ranks first in China.

2022 is still a "bumper harvest" year for Hunan. In addition to the high-speed railway connecting cities and cities, at the end of February, the official website of the Chinese government issued the Official Reply of the State Council on the Implementation Plan of the Fourteenth Five Year Plan for the Development of Urban Agglomeration in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, agreeing in principle to the Implementation Plan of the Fourteenth Five Year Plan for the Development of Urban Agglomeration in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River.

The Reply said that we should promote high-quality development, highlight the advantages and characteristics of Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan provinces, and make it clear that we should build an important support for the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the rise of the central region, an important growth pole for high-quality development in China, and an important city group with international influence.

The status of the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River has been significantly improved. In the 14th Five Year Plan, the urban agglomeration, together with Beijing Tianjin Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and Chengdu Chongqing, has become the first echelon of the national urban agglomeration. The "fifth pole" of China's economy is ready to emerge.

In the same month, the National Development and Reform Commission also released the Reply of the National Development and Reform Commission on Approving the Development Plan of the Changsha Zhuzhou Xiangtan Metropolitan Area on its official website, officially approving the Development Plan of the Changsha Zhuzhou Xiangtan Metropolitan Area. It has become the fourth approved national metropolitan area in China and the first approved metropolitan area in central China.

We will give full play to Changsha's role in driving the development of surrounding cities and towns, further promote the integration of Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan, improve the ability to support the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and better boost the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the central region.

In March 2021, in the National "Fourteenth Five Year Plan" and the Outline of Vision Goals for 2035, Wuhan and Changsha Zhuzhou Xiangtan Metropolitan Area are considered as important supporting points to promote the development of urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, with a more important strategic position.

Looking back, the Chongqing Xiamen high-speed railway starts from Chongqing in the west and ends at Xiamen in the east, which is an important cross of the "eight vertical and eight horizontal" high-speed rail network.

The Yichang section, which was opened the day before yesterday, is an important part of the Chongqing Xiamen High speed Railway. With three stations, Yiyang South, Ningxiang West and Changsha West, it is an important section connecting the northwest of Hunan Province;

Its opening and operation is of great significance for optimizing Hunan's traffic structure and promoting the economic and social development of the regions along the line. At the same time, it has optimized the spatial structure of the metropolitan area and promoted the development of four key urban clusters, Ningxiang, Liuyang, Shaoshan and Liling.

Among them, Yiyang is the hub station of Chongqing Xiamen Channel and Hu'nan Channel in the main channel of the national "eight vertical and eight horizontal" high-speed railway, which is connected to the Changsha Zhuzhou Xiangtan Intercity Railway through Changsha West Station.

The total length is 63km, and the travel time is reduced from 70 minutes to half, and the fastest time is 31 minutes. Further shorten the economic and space-time distance from Yiyang to Changsha Zhuzhou Xiangtan urban agglomeration, form an economic radiation effect, and travel will be more convenient.

In addition, once the Changde Yiyang Section of the Chongqing Xiamen High speed Railway under construction is put into operation, it means that the three cities (Changde, Yiyang and Changsha) will be fully connected, which is mentioned in the implementation plan for the construction of the Changsha Zhuzhou Xiangtan Metropolitan Area in terms of smooth traffic network: speed up the construction of the Changde Yichang Section and Changgan Section of the Chongqing Changsha High speed Railway, and promote the "zero transfer" between the high-speed railway and the intercity. At the same time Zhang Jihuai High speed Railway is interconnected. Keywords: capital construction, infrastructure construction, domestic engineering news, planning investment

At that time, Hunan high-speed rail operation network will achieve a big closed loop, form a "4-hour economic life circle", actively boost the high-quality development of regional economy and society, and promote the development of urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

With the support of system and mechanism reform, major project construction, pilot demonstration and other aspects, both the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and Chang Zhu Tan will welcome new opportunities and development. Editor/Xu Shengpeng