(资料图)

The first bullet train for test drive left Nanjing South railway station on Thursday morning, announcing that joint commissioning and testing has got underway for the Shanghai-Nanjing Yangtze River high-speed railway, and the countdown for the opening and operation of the whole line.

During the trial operation, the Shanghai-Nanjing Yangtze River High-Speed Railway will use testing equipment, including high-speed detection trains, to gradually test various equipment along the track, contact network, communication, and signal. Based on the test results, any defects found will be adjusted until each system and the overall system meet the requirements of high-speed operation and dynamic acceptance.

The entire joint debugging and testing usually takes 3 months, and the railway is expected to be ready for operation in September.

The Shanghai-Nanjing Yangtze River High-speed Railway starts from Nanjing South railway station in the west and ends at Taicang Railway Station in the east. It connects with the Shanghai Railway Terminal through the Shanghai–Suzhou–Nantong railway. The total length of the line is 279 kilometers, and the design speed is 350 kilometers per hour.

The 8 stations along the line include Nanjing South, Jurong, Jintan, Wujin, Jiangyin, Zhangjiagang, Changshu, and Taicang.

The Shanghai-Nanjing Yangtze River high-speed railway is the backbone line of the intercity rail transit network in the Yangtze River Delta region, and together with the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway and the Shanghai–Nanjing intercity railway, it forms the high-speed railway artery radiating westward in the Yangtze River Delta region.