The reporter recently learned from relevant departments that, in order to directly connect to the national high-speed rail network, Inner Mongolia has decided after repeated study and demonstration to build the Jining–Datong high-speed railway. This high-speed rail line is the shortest, lowest-investment, and most widely beneficial route for Inner Mongolia to connect to the national high-speed rail network. The project is planned to start full construction in November 2019. After completion, Hohhot, Baotou, Ordos, Ulanqab, Xilin Gol, Bayannur, Wuhai and other areas will all be able to directly connect to the national high-speed rail network, which is of great significance and value for improving Inner Mongolia's transport infrastructure, making travel more convenient for the public, and promoting faster economic and social development.
It is understood that the Jining–Datong section high-speed railway project starts in the north at Jining District of Ulanqab City, Inner Mongolia, and ends in the south at Datong City, passing through Chahar Right Front Banner, Fengzhen City, and Xinrong District of Datong City, Shanxi Province. The line is 130.9 km long in total (73.1 km in Inner Mongolia), with a speed of 350 km/h, a total investment of 17.25 billion yuan (9.63 billion yuan in Inner Mongolia), and a construction period of four years. The project is an important part of the Hohhot–Nanning corridor, one of the "eight vertical and eight horizontal" high-speed rail corridors in the National Medium- and Long-Term Railway Network Plan. After the project is completed, western Inner Mongolia will be connected to the national high-speed rail network by the most convenient route and will be able to reach the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Southwest China directly, fully meeting the public's demand for convenient and high-quality travel. The project can also connect via the Datong–Xi'an high-speed railway to the planned Xinzhou–Xiong'an high-speed railway and directly reach Xiong'an New Area, shortening the distance between western Inner Mongolia and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Bohai Rim economic circle.
In addition, the feasibility study report for the Baotou–Yinchuan high-speed railway project has completed review, and project construction will be actively advanced in accordance with the requirements of China Railway. At the same time, the region will also focus on planning and building three rapid railways, namely the electrification renovation of the Jining–Tongliao railway, the Bayanhot–Yinchuan railway, and the Xilinhot–Taizicheng railway. After these projects are completed, all 12 league and city seats in Inner Mongolia will be connected by rapid rail, of which 10 will be connected by high-speed rail, and an east-west rapid rail corridor of about 3,100 km effectively linking the league and city seats will be formed. By then, traveling by train from Manzhouli to Bayanhot will be shortened from about 60 hours to within 20 hours. It is estimated that by 2030 the region's high-speed rail mileage will reach 2,600 km.