Railway transportation is often the lifeblood of economic development, hence the cause for optimistic celebration in Nanyang, Henan province, which is soon to be a beneficiary of two major railway projects.

These national projects include the Zhengzhou-Wanzhou Railway and the Mengxi-Huazhong Railway. Both lines have stops in the city and will play an important role in improving its links with other areas of China.

Journeys on the Zhengzhou-Wanzhou line will last an impressive four hours and will save a great deal of time for passengers. Of particular importance to the city of Nanyang are the increasingly close ties the line will create with neighboring cities, such as Zhengzhou and Xiangyang. Travel time to these nearby cities will decrease to under an hour.

The second line causing excitement in Nanyang is the Mengxi-Huazhong Railway that starts in Haolebaoji, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and runs to Ji'an, Jiangxi province. The railway line was a key part of the 12th Five-Year Plan and will largely transport coal from North to South.

Haolebaoji?is one of the nation's major sites of coal extraction and the new railway line, by stopping in Nanyang, will become a significant means of the state carrying out its coal strategy. In recent years, due to the city's large consumption of coal, there has been heavy pressure on the resource. This north to south line will work to relieve such pressure.

A section of railway in Nanyang's Wancheng district being constructed. [Photo/Nanyang Daily]