People wait to take trains at the Zhangjiagang railway station. [Photo/WeChat account: zhangjiagangfabu365]
Zhangjiagang, a pivotal city in the Yangtze River Delta region, is set to enhance its transportation network, introducing six new direct high-speed rail routes in the fourth quarter of this year.
For the first time, Zhangjiagang will have direct high-speed rail connections as the departure station to six major cities: Kunming, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Yichang, Chengdu, and Nanjing. This makes Zhangjiagang the only departure city in Jiangsu, apart from Nanjing, with a direct high-speed rail link to Kunming.
Previously, the city operated 129 high-speed rail routes, which is set to increase to 167, connecting passengers to four municipalities directly administered by the Chinese central government, 17 provinces, one autonomous region, and 126 prefecture-level cities.
The inauguration of the Shanghai-Suzhou-Nantong Railway in 2020 marked a significant transition for Zhangjiagang, giving the city its first high-speed rail.
In just three years, Zhangjiagang's role as a vital transportation hub in the Yangtze River Delta has become increasingly evident. During the recent Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, Zhangjiagang station welcomed 241,600 passengers, out of which 121,400 were departures, a 201 percent increase compared to the previous year. Additionally, the station received 120,200 arriving passengers, marking an impressive 187 percent growth from the previous year.