June 1st, 2010 Anqing (Nanjing) Industrial Transfer Promotion Fair and Program Signing Ceremony was held in Nanjing. 12 programs with total investment of 800 million RMB were signed. Vice-mayor Chen Gang and leaders from Anqing Municipality attended the signing ceremony. It is introduced that, the Nanjing-Anqing Intercity Railway under construction is progressing smoothly and will be open to traffic in 2012. By that time, the trip from Nanjing to Anqing and Shanghai to Anqing will be respectively shortened to within 1.5 hours and 3 hours.

Nanjing-Anqing Intercity Railway extends from Nanjing in the east, through Ma’anshan, Wuhu, Tongling, Chizhou, Cross-Changjiang River Railway Bridge to Anqing, in 257km. It is part of the national backbone railway network of 8 west-eastern railways and 8 north-southern railways. Its design speed is 350km/h. According to the joint venture proposal confirmed by Ministry of Railways, Anhui and Jiangsu Provinces, the ministry holds 50% share of the Nanjing-Anqing Railway Company and the 2 provinces together holds the other 50%. The project commenced in September, 2008 and is estimated to be open to traffic in 2012. Together with Shanghai-Wuhan-Chengdu Intercity Railway, Nanjing-Hangzhou Intercity and Shanghai-Nanjing Intercity Railways, it will set a stop at South Nanjing Station.

Transport of passengers and goods on Nanjing-Anqing Intercity Railway will be separated to largely improve transport capacity of both. And it will be connected to Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Railway and the Yangtze River Delta Region Inter-city Railway Network, forming a rapid passenger transport network with high capacity, efficiency and environment-friendliness. Traveling time from Anqing to Nanjing and Shanghai will be respectively shortened to within 1.5 hours and 3 hours. Time and space distance between cities along the railway and central cities in the delta region are largely shortened. It is significant to improving regional transport structure, facilitating intercity and international communication, guiding reasonable city layout, concerted development, accelerating regional economic integration, strengthening geographic advantages and influence range of the Yangtze River Delta Region and promoting continuous and rapid economic development of areas along the railway and Jiangsu, Anhui areas. (Nanjing Daily)