The Ganzhou–Longyan railway was designed to promote economic development and boost tourism to historical sites in the region.
[4] A rail line connecting southern Jiangxi and Fujian was originally proposed by Sun Yat-sen and planning began in as early as 1914.
[1] After the winning the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the Communist government inherited the project and produced studies and proposals in 1958, 1963, 1972, 1981, 1983 and 1994.
[1] Construction began in western Fujian on December 8, 2001, with a ceremony at the meeting site of the Gutian Conference, where the Communist leaders reorganized in 1929 after numerous setbacks in the wake of the Nanchang Uprising.
[1] In September 2010, a project to expand capacity of the Ganlong line began with construction of a new double-track that is 272.832 km (169.5 mi) long.