World's first high-speed rail suspension bridge takes shape

The northern tower of Wufengshan Yangtze river bridge, the world's first high-speed rail suspension bridge, was capped recently, according to Shanghai railway bureau.

With a height of 203 meters, equivalent to a 70-storey building, the tower used a total of 39,000 cubic meters of concrete.

The southern tower was capped in May.

Wufengshan Yangtze river bridge, with a length of 6.4 kilometers and a span of 1,092 meters, is a key project on the Lianzhen railway line. The upper level designated for vehicles has eight tracks with a maximum speed of 100 km/h, and the lower level has four railway lines with a designated speed of 250 km/h.

The load of the bridge is equivalent to a highway of 32 tracks, and the dragline is capable of withstanding 170,000 tons of tension, far beyond 100,000 tons of the previous bridges.

Construction of the bridge is expected to be completed by 2020, reducing travel time between Lianyungang, East China's Jiangsu province, and Shanghai from 11 to three hours.