With the continuous innovation of technology, increasing market demand, policy support, and strengthening international cooperation, high-speed railways will continue to maintain a rapid development momentum and be more widely used globally. On the morning of December 30, 2023, the construction mobilization meeting for the new Weifang Suqian high-speed railway and Qingdao connecting line project was held, marking the official start of construction of the project.

The Qingdao Connection Line connects to the newly built Weisu High Speed Railway to the west and the existing Qingyan Railway to the east, leading to the Qingdao hub. The line starts from Yanghekou Station on the Qingyan Railway, passes south through Qingdao West Coast New Area and leads to Qingdao West Station, passes west through Zhucheng South Station in Zhucheng City, and then leads west to the newly built Wulian North Station on the Weisu High Speed Railway. The project has a total length of 108.8 kilometers and a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour. Among them, the Qingdao section is 53.5 kilometers long, including 52.3 kilometers within the jurisdiction of the West Coast New Area.

After the completion of the project, it can promote the development and communication between the Jiaodong Peninsula and the Yangtze River Delta and beyond, facilitate efficient travel for the masses, and also play a positive role in the exchange and integration between Yanwei and Linyi, as well as the areas along the line. It is a high-speed railway with both intercity and road network functions, which will support the efficient linkage between the Jiaodong Peninsula and the Yangtze River Delta, and promote high-quality development in eastern China.

For the new area, the Qingdao Connection Line project is not only a requirement for future development, but also a practical need. It is reported that currently traveling south from the West Coast New Area to the Yangtze River Delta and Central China requires passing through the Qingyan Railway, with a designed speed of 200 kilometers per hour, and it is for passenger and freight sharing. The fastest train from Qingdao West Station to Shanghai Hongqiao takes 4 hours and 20 minutes, and the call to clear the bottleneck of the southbound expressway is increasing. On the other hand, the shared use of passenger and freight by the Qingyan Railway also restricts the dredging capacity of Dongjiakou Port Area in Qingdao Port, Shandong Province. Keywords: engineering news, engineering construction information, engineering construction

After the Qingdao Connection Line project is completed and put into operation, there will be a faster high-speed railway line at Qingdao West Station heading south to the Yangtze River Delta; Going north to the Beijing Tianjin Hebei region, there is no need to detour through Jinan. You can directly reach Beijing through Weifang and Tianjin, greatly reducing the mileage. At the same time, with the construction of the new line from Qingdao West to Yanghekou, the problems of mixed passenger and freight transportation and insufficient long-term freight capacity in the northern section of the Qingyan Railway will also be solved, better meeting the collection and distribution needs of Dongjiakou Port and improving the comprehensive service capacity of the port area. Editor/Zhao E