The Nanjing–Xi'an railway or Ningxi railway (simplified Chinese: 宁西铁路; traditional Chinese: 寧西鐵路; pinyin: níngxī tiělù), is a major trunkline railroad in China between Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province and Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province. The Chinese name for the line, Ningxi, is named after the two terminal cities, Ning, the Chinese character shorthand for the city of Nanjing, and Xi for Xian. The line is 1,196 km (743 mi) in length and comprises the Xi’an-Hefei section in the west, 1,196 km (743 mi) in length, that opened on January 7, 2004, and the high-speed Hefei–Nanjing section in the east, better known as the Hefei–Nanjing passenger railway, 166 km (103 mi) in length, that opened on April 18, 2008. In addition, a connection line 72 km (45 mi) in length was built in 200