The news of the start of the Changjiang-Jiangxi high-speed railway has once again aroused heated public discussions. The project that was originally expected to start construction at the same time on the entire line only officially announced the plan to start construction of the Pingxiang section, while the Ganzhou section and other sections seem to be on hold for the time being, and such a plan has aroused many questions: Is it sufficient to squander the funds at will, or is the passengers' time not worth mentioning? Does the state really think that the flow of people on this high-speed rail line is so scarce that there is no need to promote the entire line at the same time? Why did Jiangxi choose to suspend construction and instead invest heavily in the construction of a straight-line high-speed railway to Guangdong?
The Changjiang-Jiangxi high-speed railway, as an important transportation artery connecting Changsha City in Hunan Province and Ganzhou City in Jiangxi Province, was originally pinned on high hopes. However, the step-by-step implementation of its start-up plan raises questions about the logic behind it. Although the start of construction of the Pingxiang section marks the official start of the project, the absence of the Ganzhou section and other key sections will make this high-speed rail line form a "curved parallel line" for some time to come, which will undoubtedly increase the travel time and cost of passengers.
For such a plan, there is an opinion that it may be based on both financial and pedestrian considerations. On the one hand, as a national key project, the Changjiang-Jiangxi high-speed railway is mainly funded by national financial appropriations and bank loans. Where funds are sufficient, it may be possible to consider moving forward with the project in phases to ensure that the funds are used wisely. But on the other hand, if you take into account the travel needs and time costs of passengers, it is undoubtedly more reasonable to start construction at the same time.
However, Jiangxi does not seem to fully agree with this view. According to reports, the Jiangxi government has decided to suspend the construction of some sections of the Changjiang-Jiangxi high-speed railway, and instead invest heavily in the construction of a straight high-speed railway to Guangdong. There may be more complex considerations behind this decision. On the one hand, as one of the most economically developed regions in China, Guangdong's transportation links with Jiangxi are becoming increasingly close. The construction of a direct high-speed railway line to Guangdong will greatly promote economic and trade exchanges and the flow of people between the two places, and will be of great significance to Jiangxi's economic development. On the other hand, it may also be the Jiangxi government's concern about the flow of people on the Changjiang-Jiangxi high-speed railway. After all, in the current situation of the increasingly complete high-speed rail network, if the traffic of the Changjiang-Jiangxi high-speed railway is not enough to support its operating costs, then it may be wiser to move forward or postpone construction in phases.
However, such a decision has also sparked some controversy. Some people believe that the construction of the Changjiang-Jiangxi high-speed railway, as an important transportation artery connecting Hunan and Jiangxi provinces, is of great significance for promoting economic exchanges and personnel exchanges between the two provinces. If construction is delayed or phased out due to concerns about lack of foot traffic, there is a risk of missing out on development opportunities. In addition, there are concerns that such decisions could waste taxpayers' money. After all, whether it is the Changjiang-Jiangxi high-speed railway or the straight-line high-speed railway to Guangdong, it needs to invest huge funds in construction. If the desired results are not achieved in the end, then these investments may be in vain.
To sum up, behind the puzzle of the start of construction of the Changjiang-Jiangxi high-speed railway, it is actually a game between capital and people, regional development strategy and passenger demand. In the coming period, we may need to continue to monitor the progress of this project to see if it can eventually become an important transportation artery connecting Hunan and Jiangxi provinces, and inject new vitality into the economic development of the two provinces and the entire central region.