Jimu News reporter Pan Xiheng
"Taiwanese people can start from the island and drive to Beijing along the Beijing-Taiwan Expressway to visit." On March 25, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made this statement at a regular press conference, which quickly attracted attention. In fact, in addition to the expressway, there is also a high-speed rail that will directly connect Taiwan and Beijing. People in Wuhan will also benefit from this high-speed rail channel and can take the high-speed rail to Taipei in the future.
Jimu News reporter learned that the Beijing-Hong Kong high-speed railway in the Beijing-Hong Kong (Taiwan) corridor of the national "eight vertical and eight horizontal" high-speed rail network has entered the final sprint stage of construction, and the Beijing-Hong Kong section is expected to be fully opened to traffic in 2026.
Beijing-Hong Kong-Taiwan High-speed Railway Channel Planning Map (Screenshot) Source: National Development and Reform Commission official website
At the press conference of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council on March 25, 2026, spokesperson Zhu Fenglian described the vision after reunification and mentioned that Taiwan would be supported in building infrastructure including high-speed rail around the island, railways connecting the east and west, and cross-strait express lanes. By then, Taiwanese compatriots can drive to Beijing along the Beijing-Taiwan Expressway.
What few people know is that as early as 10 years ago in 2016, the "Medium and Long-term Railway Network Plan" issued by the National Development and Reform Commission had already outlined the "eight vertical and eight horizontal" main high-speed railway corridors. Taipei City, Taiwan Province appears in the vertical channel "Beijing-Hong Kong (Taiwan) Channel".
The Beijing-Hong Kong (Taiwan) High-speed Railway consists of multiple lines, divided into two directions: the "Beijing-Hong Kong Line" connecting Hong Kong and the "Beijing-Taiwan Line" planned to extend to Taiwan. The latest details are as follows:
Beijing-Hong Kong Line: The entire line will be completed soon
Xiongshang Section (Beijing-Shangqiu): As the last section not yet open to traffic, the track laying of the main line has been completed, and the cold slip test of the contact network in the Shandong section has been successfully completed. It has entered the power transmission stage and is scheduled to be opened for operation in 2026.
Changjiu Section (Nanchang-Jiujiang): As a key part of the Beijing-Hong Kong corridor, the entire tunnel has been completed recently, laying a solid foundation for subsequent track laying and the opening of the entire line in 2026.
Fuhuang Section (Fuyang-Huanggang): It has been clearly written into the national "15th Five-Year Plan" outline, the feasibility study report has been approved, and construction is planned to start in 2026. The construction of the project is of great significance for accelerating the opening of the "eight vertical and eight horizontal" Beijing-Hong Kong (Taiwan) channel, serving the accelerated rise of the central region, improving the infrastructure of the old revolutionary base area in the Dabie Mountains, and promoting regional economic and social development. This section of the line is the last section of the West Path Road (via Hubei) of the Beijing-Hong Kong (Taiwan) Corridor. After completion, it will open a fast lane from Wuhan to Beijing via Huanggang.
Beijing-Taiwan Line: Planned to extend to Taipei
According to the plan, after the Beijing-Hong Kong (Taiwan) Channel passes through Anhui, Jiangxi, Fujian and other provinces, it is planned to extend across the Taiwan Strait to Taipei.
According to the existing high-speed rail network planning and the blueprint drawn by experts, two high-speed rail lines from Wuhan to Taiwan can be roughly outlined in the future: from Wuhan via Jiujiang, Nanchang, and Fuzhou, that is, along the west path of the Beijing-Hong Kong (Taiwan) Corridor, and then to Taipei through the Strait Channel; from Wuhan via Hefei, Fuzhou, that is, via the Fuyin High-speed Railway, and then to Taipei through the planned Strait Channel.
So how long will it take to take the high-speed rail from Wuhan to Taiwan in the future? Relevant people said that it is currently impossible to calculate the exact duration of the high-speed train from Wuhan to Taiwan because the key project connecting the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, the channel across the Taiwan Strait, is still in the planning and research stage, and there is no specific construction timetable.
