Workers install electric wires for high-speed trains on the Shanghai-Nantong Yangtze River Bridge on Jan 15. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

Electric wires for high-speed trains started being installed on the Shanghai-Nantong Yangtze River Bridge on Jan 15.

Officials said it was an essential part of the Shanghai-Nantong Railway, which is expected to open in 2020.

The new railway line linking Nantong and Shanghai is 137.47 kilometers long and consists of nine stops, including Pingdong town, Nantong, Zhangjiagang, Changshu, and Taicang. It is designed to support speeds of around 200 km per hour.

Upon completion, the new railway will seamlessly connect with the Yancheng-Nantong Railway, the Qingdao-Yancheng Railway, and the Qingdao-Yantai-Weihai Railway, leading directly to Yantai in Shandong province.

It will play an important role in forming high-speed transport networks in the Yangtze River Delta region and the country's coastal area.

The Shanghai-Nantong Yangtze River Bridge, which the railway passes through, is the world's largest road-rail cable-stayed bridge, with a length of more than 11 kilometers and a main span that is 1,092 meters long. The bridge features a six-lane expressway on its upper deck and four railway tracks on its lower deck.