At 10:00 am on January 23rd, at the track laying construction site along the Nanchong to Bazhong section of the newly constructed Hanzhong to Bazhong to Nanchong Railway (hereinafter referred to as the Banan High-speed Railway) in Shunqing district, Nanchong, the placement of the last 500-meter-long steel rail by the CPG500 long steel rail laying machine marked the completion of the mainline track, laying a solid foundation for its opening and operation within the year.

The Banan High-speed Railway is the first high-speed railway in Sichuan province to be fully funded and led by the local government. It is located in the northeast of Sichuan and is a major transportation project for the coordinated development of the Chengdu-Chongqing urban economic circle and regional economic cooperation.

The line starts from Nanchong North Station of the Lanzhou-Chongqing Railway, passing through Nanchong’s Shunqing district, Peng'an county, Nanbu county, Yilong county and Bazhong’s Enyang district, Bazhou district, and the Economic Development Zone, and connects to the designed terminus of Bazhong East Station. The total length of the mainline project is 148.04 kilometers, with a bridge and tunnel ratio of 69.13% and a designed speed of 250 kilometers per hour.

Once the Banan High-speed Railway opens for operation, it will end the history of Bazhong and Yilong not being connected by high-speed rail.

The Banan High-speed Railway is led by the Shudao Railway Investment Group, constructed and managed by the Hanbanan Railway Company, with the China Railway Fourth Bureau being responsible for the entire line's track laying construction. The track laying operation lasted for more than 10 months, completing the laying of 294 kilometers of mainline track, laying 47 sets of turnouts, and 500,000 cubic meters of top-grade ballast.

Upon the completion and opening of the Banan High-speed Railway, the travel time from Bazhong to Nanchong will be approximately 35 minutes, to Chengdu approximately 145 minutes, and to Chongqing approximately 105 minutes. This will be of great significance in integrating the northeastern region of Sichuan into the national high-speed rail network, improving the intercity railway network in the Chengdu-Chongqing region, and further promoting the rapid development of the regional economy and society in the northeastern region of Sichuan.