On November 20, Hebei Province-based Chinese steel producer Hebei Iron and Steel Group (HBIS) announced that its subsidary Handan Iron and Steel Co. (Hansteel) has won two tenders for the supply of a total of 40,000 mt of HRB 400 rebar over a one-year period for the Xi'an-Chengdu high-speed passenger railway line. The first 1,500 metric tons of rebar, of 12 meters in length and of 18 mm, 20 mm and 25 mm in thickness, have already been produced, and deliveries have already started.
The Xi'an-Chengdu passenger railway line will be the first high-speed railway to pass through the Qingling mountains in China. After completion, the rail journey from Xi'an, Shanxi Province to Chengdu in Sichuan Province will require two and a half hours, instead of the current 12 hours.