As a core part of the Hu-Tong (Shanghai to Nantong) Railway, a river-crossing bridge will start construction at the end of February, according to the municipal department of transportation. It will take 5.5 years to finish. With a total length of 11 kilometers, it will be the longest cable-stayed bridge for both road and railway in the world.

The start of bridge construction marks the full launch of the Hu-Tong Railway, which crosses the Yangtze River from Nantong and stretches to connect Zhangjiagang, Changshu and Taicang. The railway splits at Taicang, with one way leading to Anting station on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway and the other heading east to Pudong.

With the establishment of the Hu-Tong Railway, Zhangjiagang, Changshu and Taicang will function as stations for CRH trains, providing more convenient transportation to Shanghai and middle and northern Jiangsu.