The line is 1,639 km (1,018 mi) long and runs north–south through four provinces.

Major cities along route include Jiaozuo, Jiyuan, Luoyang, Nanyang and Dengzhou in Henan Province; Xiangyang and Jingmen in Hubei Province; Shimen, Zhangjiajie, Jishou and Huaihua in Hunan Province and Liuzhou in the Guangxi Autonomous Region.

The northern section from Jiaozuo to Zhicheng Town (in Yidu County-level City, Hubei Province) was built from 1969 to 1970.

[1] The two halves were joined in 1988 after the completion of the Zhicheng Yangtze River Bridge.

[2] Electrification of the final section, from Huaihua to Liuzhou, was completed in December 2020.