The Xiamen–Shenzhen railway is the first railway to be built on the southern coast of China. Most
high-speed rail lines in China follow the routes of older conventional railways, but there were no railways on the southeast coast before the arrival of high-speed rail. Historically, the southeast coastal region relied on maritime transportation, and rugged terrain made railway construction more expensive. In the first half of the 20th century, warfare and political instability delayed railway construction. During the
Cold War, the southeast coast faced the threat of invasion from
Republic of China on Taiwan and all railways were built inland. Only when political tensions across the
Taiwan Strait eased in the late 1990s did planning of the Xiashen Line proceed. Construction of the Xiashen Line commenced in November 2007 and the line was initially expected to open in 2011. But the anticipated completion was repeatedly delayed due to further safety reviews and inspections after the
Wenzhou High-Speed rail crash. In December 2012, the anticipated opening date was pushed to October 2013. Test runs did not commence until November 2013. The line officially opened on December 28, 2013 with trains running from
Shenzhen North to
Shanghai Hongqiao. In 2017, cumulative ridership of the line exceeded 53 million passengers, with daily services increased to 101 trains in each direction. In February 2021, it was announced that operating speeds on the line would be increased from starting on 10 April, resulting in the fastest journeys between
Xiamen North and
Shenzhen North being reduced to 2.5 hours. ==Rail connections==