The Wenzhou–Fuzhou railway, also known as the Wenfu railway, () is a dual-track,

electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic history ...

, high-speed rail line running between

Wenzhou Wenzhou (pronounced ; Wenzhounese: Yuziou �y33–11 tɕiɤu33–32 ), historically known as Wenchow is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Zhejiang province in the People's Republic of China. Wenzhou is located at the extreme south east o ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

and

Fuzhou Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute t ...

, the capital of

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

. The line has a total length of and forms part of the Hangzhou–Fuzhou–Shenzhen passenger-dedicated railway. Construction began in August 2005, and the line opened to freight traffic on July 1, 2009. Passenger service began on September 28, 2009. Trains running on the line reach top speeds of 250 kilometres per hour, and the shortest trip between Wenzhou and Fuzhou takes 1.5 hours."China to open Wenzhou-Fuzhou railroad at mid-year" ''People's Daily''
2009-03-09 The line required investment of ¥12.66 billion. To improve connections between Fuzhou and Zhejiang, the government is proposing to build a faster parallel passenger dedicated line called the Wenzhou–Fuzhou high-speed railway.

Route

The Wenzhou–Fuzhou railway follows the rugged but prosperous coast of southern Zhejiang and northern

with in the former and in the latter. Bridges and tunnels account for over 78% of the line's total length. Major cities along route include

Rui'an Rui'an (, Wenzhounese: ''zy iu'') is a county-level city along the southern coast of Zhejiang province, China, and is under the administration of Wenzhou City. It has a population of 1,125,000 people and covers a land area of , when including wat ...

Cangnan Cangnan County ( ) is a county in the prefecture-level city of Wenzhou in southern Zhejiang. The county government is in Lingxi. Cangnan has 20 towns, 14 townships, and two nationality townships. The predominant Chinese dialect spoken in Cangnan ...

Fuding () is a county-level city in northeastern Ningde prefecture-level city, on Fujian's border with Zhejiang province. History Fuding county was established during the Qing Dynasty in 1739 AD. On December 15, 1950, the Matsu Administrative Office ( ...

Ningde Ningde (; Foochow Romanized: Nìng-dáik), also known as Mindong (; Foochow Romanized: Mìng-dĕ̤ng; lit. East of Fujian), is a prefecture-level city located along the northeastern coast of Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It borders ...

, Luoyuan and Lianjiang.

History

The Wenzhou–Fuzhou railway is the first railway to connect the two neighboring provinces. Most high-speed rail lines in China follow the routes of older conventional railroads, but there were no railways on the southeast coast prior to the building of high-speed rail. Historically, the southeast coastal region relied on maritime transportation, and rugged terrain made railway construction more expensive. In the first half of the 20th century, warfare and political instability delayed railway construction. During the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

, the southeast coast faced the threat of invasion from

Republic of China on Taiwan Republic of China on Taiwan () is a political term as well as discourse regarding the present status of the Republic of China. It is proposed by former President of the Republic of China Lee Teng-hui, the first locally-born president (i.e., th ...

and all railways were built inland. Only when political tensions across the

Taiwan Strait The Taiwan Strait is a -wide strait separating the island of Taiwan and continental Asia. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is wide. The Taiwan Strait is itself a s ...

eased in the late 1990s did planning of the Wenzhou–Fuzhou railway take place. In October 2002, the project was initially approved by the

National Development and Reform Commission The National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China (NDRC), formerly State Planning Commission and State Development Planning Commission, is a macroeconomic management agency under the State Council, which has br ...

as a single-track railway at the standard. The project was then upgraded to a double-track standard and received

State Council State Council may refer to: Government * State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President * State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...

approval in 2004. Construction on an experimental basis began in December 2004 and on a full-scale in August 2005. Track-laying was completed in April 2009. Freight and passenger service began, respectively on July 1 and September 28, 2009.

Rail connections

Ningbo–Taizhou–Wenzhou railway The Ningbo–Taizhou–Wenzhou railway or Yong-Tai-Wen railway () is a dual-track, electrified, high-speed rail line in Zhejiang Province, China. It is named after the three prefecture-level cities along route: Ningbo, whose abbreviated Chinese ...

Jinhua–Wenzhou railway The Jinhua–Wenzhou railway (), also known as the Jinwen line, is a railway in Zhejiang Province, China, connecting Jinhua and Wenzhou. It is the first railway with the investment from a joint venture, between Chinese government-owned corporatio ...

Fuzhou–Xiamen railway The Fuzhou–Xiamen railway or Fuxia railway (; Foochow Romanized: ''Hók-â Tʰiā-le̤'') is a dual-track, electrified, higher-speed rail line in eastern China. The line is named after its two terminal cities Fuzhou and Xiamen, both coastal cit ...

Nanping–Fuzhou railway Nanping–Fuzhou railway or Nanfu railway (), is a railroad in eastern China between Nanping and Fuzhou in Fujian Province. The line is long and was built between 1956 and 1959. Other Names Since 1956, the Nanping–Fuzhou railway has been refer ...

, Xiangtang–Putian railway *

: Quzhou–Ningde railway

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wenzhou-Fuzhou Railway Railway lines in China Rail transport in Zhejiang Rail transport in Fujian

Route

History

Rail connections

See also

References