Jinan-Qingdao railway almost ready for service

The Jinan-Qingdao high-speed railway began test runs in Shandong province on Thursday. If no complications arise, the line will go into service at the end of this year, the railway authority said.

“Tests will last about four months,” said Li Xigang of China Railway Corp’s Jinan bureau.

When put into service, trains on the Jinan-Qingdao high-speed railway can run at a maximum operating speed of 350 kilometers per hour. This will cut travel time between Jinan and Qingdao to one hour from the current 2.5 hours.

Travel time between Beijing and Qingdao will also be shortened to 2.5 hours from the current 5.5 hours.

The 307.8-km railway started construction in December, 2015. It has 11 stops.

“The Jinan-Qingdao high-speed railway not only offers transportation between cities in Shandong at a higher speed but provides a more convenient route between Shandong and other regions outside the province,” said Chen Guancang of the Shandong Development and Reform Commission. “It will facilitate Shandong’s development by replacing old growth engines with new ones.”

The Jinan-Qingdao high-speed railway involves a total investment of nearly 60 billion yuan ($8.8 billion), with 80 percent coming from Shandong province, becoming the first line in China mainly funded by local entities. Wang Yujian contributed to this story.