The 377km Yichang-Wanzhou railway project has reached the final stage of its track laying. Tracks were laid down on the Yichang Yangtze Bridge by 11 July and now stretch to Ershi, to the west of Yichang in Hubei province. The whole task is scheduled to finish by September.

Track-laying is an important part of the Riverside Railway project. By the time the line starts operation in November 2010, the journey time between Yichang and Chongqing will be halved to three hours. The Yichang-Wanzhou railway is one of the most challenging engineering projects in China as it meanders its way through the Sichuan mountains.