Xi'an–Chengdu high-speed railway or Xi'an-Chengdu Passenger Dedicated Line, 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 in

Western China Western China (, or rarely ) is the west of China. In the definition of the Chinese government, Western China covers one municipality (Chongqing), six provinces (Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively r ...

between

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...

and

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...

, respectively the provincial capitals of

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

and

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

. This line, which commenced operations on 6 December 2017, runs through Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces and accommodates trains traveling at speeds up to . Travel time between the two provincial capitals was reduced from 16 to less than three hours. The project was approved by the State Development and Planning Commission in October 2010. Construction of the Sichuan section of the railway started on November 10, 2010, and of the Shaanxi section, on October 27, 2012. The line traverses the rugged

Qin Qin may refer to: Dynasties and states * Qin (state) (秦), a major state during the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China * Qin dynasty (秦), founded by the Qin state in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC * Daqin (大秦), ancient Chinese name for the Roman Emp ...

and

Daba Mountains The Daba Mountains, also known by their Chinese name as the Dabashan, are a mountain range in Central China between the watersheds of the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. Part of the larger Qinling mountain range, it cuts through four provinces: Si ...

and connects the

Guanzhong Plains Guanzhong (, formerly romanised as Kwanchung) region, also known as the Guanzhong Basin, Wei River Basin, or uncommonly as the Shaanzhong region, is a historical region of China corresponding to the crescentic graben basin within present-day ...

with the

Sichuan Basin The Sichuan Basin (), formerly transliterated as the Szechwan Basin, sometimes called the Red Basin, is a lowland region in southwestern China. It is surrounded by mountains on all sides and is drained by the upper Yangtze River and its tributa ...

. The line is part of the

Beijing–Kunming corridor The Beijing–Kunming corridor is a high-speed rail corridor running from Beijing to Kunming in Yunnan Province. The main route passes from Beijing through Xiong'an, Xinzhou, Taiyuan, Xi'an and Chengdu before reaching Kunming. Apart from the main ...

Route

The high-speed rail line connects Xian, in the

Wei River The Wei River () is a major river in west-central China's Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. It is the largest tributary of the Yellow River and very important in the early development of Chinese civilization. The source of the Wei River is close to ...

Valley,

Hanzhong Hanzhong (; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gansu to the west. The founder of the Han dynasty, Liu Bang, was once enfeoffed as the ...

, in the Han River Valley, and

Guangyuan Guangyuan () is a prefecture-level city in Sichuan Province, China, bordering the provinces of Shaanxi to the northeast and Gansu to the northwest. The city has a population of 2,305,657 as of the 2020 census. Located roughly between the provi ...

Jiangyou Jiangyou () is a Chinese county-level city located in Mianyang, Sichuan. The city proper is subdivided into four urban districts and has jurisdiction over 21 towns, and 19 rural townships. It is the hometown of Li Bai, a leading Tang Dynasty poe ...

and

in the Sichuan Basin. In the Qin Mountains, it has of tunnels, including six over in length. The railway passes under ecologically sensitive areas including the Taibaishan and Hanzhong Crested Ibis National Nature Reserves, which are home to the

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

giant panda The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes us ...

golden snub-nosed monkey The golden snub-nosed monkey (''Rhinopithecus roxellana'') is an Old World monkey in the subfamily Colobinae. It is endemic to a small area in temperate, mountainous forests of central and Southwest China. They inhabit these mountainous forests ...

takin The takin (''Budorcas taxicolor''; ), also called cattle chamois or gnu goat, is a large species of ungulate of the subfamily Caprinae found in the eastern Himalayas. It includes four subspecies: the Mishmi takin (''B. t. taxicolor''), the g ...

and

crested ibis The crested ibis (''Nipponia nippon''), also known as the Japanese crested ibis, Asian crested ibis or toki, is a large (up to long), white-plumaged ibis of pine forests, native to eastern Asia. Its head is partially bare, showing red skin, and ...

. Over much of its length, the Xi'an–Chengdu Passenger Dedicated Line largely parallels existing railways: the

Yangpingguan–Ankang railway The Yangpingguan–Ankang railway or Yang'an railway (), is a single-track, electrified railroad in China between Yangpingguan and Ankang in southern Shaanxi Province. The line, in length, follows the upper reaches of the Han River and was ...

in southwestern Shaanxi (between Hanzhong and the

Yangpingguan Yangpingguan () is a town in central Ningqiang County, in southwestern Shaanxi province, China. The town has an area of , in which there are 1 residential community () and 20 villages holding a total population of 26,000.(Chinese"阳平关镇" ' ...

junction), and the

Baoji–Chengdu railway The Baoji–Chengdu railway or Baocheng railway (), is a mixed single- and double-track, electrified, railroad in China between Baoji in Shaanxi province and Chengdu in Sichuan province. The Baocheng Line is the main railway connection between ...

in Sichuan (from Yangpingguan to Chengdu). However, the section from Xi'an to Hanzhong, crossing in tunnels under the Qin Mountains, follows an entirely new direct route. High speed rail reforms meant direct Chengdu-Lanzhou and Chongqing-Xi'an services would use a combination of Xi'an–Chengdu high-speed railway and Chongqing–Lanzhou railway from where they met at

. This would negate the need to build a separate direct Chongqing-Xi'an or Chengdu-Lanzhou lines. However, with the announcement of the expanded 8+8 high speed rail grid, the two originally planned lines were reinstated in the masterplan. The Chengdu-Xi'an HSR have to cross the Qin Mountains; to achieve that, trains must climb continuously at 2.5% inclination (2.5 meters up per 100 meters run) for 47 kilometers. Since most HSR trains with 250 km/h maximum speed are not equipped with sufficient redundant power to maintain max speed climbing, trains scheduled to run between Chengdu and Xi'an using 250 km/h max speed equipments have to reserve extra time for the tunnel. However, for trains that continue to Beijing via Xi'an-Zhengzhou High Speed Rail and Guangzhou-Beijing High Speed Rail, an equipment capable of 350 km/h operations must be utilized to reach regular speed on the Zhengzhou-Beijing part. With redundant power equipped for 350 km/h operations, they lose less speed going up the tunnel, thus spending less time; this has reportedly caused these trains to have to reduce speed to maintain proper separation.

History

* Nov. 1, 2010: The Xi'an–Chengdu high-speed railway project received approval from the State Development and Planning Commission."China plans high-speed rail link for Chengdu-Xi'an" ''A.P.''
2010-11-02

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xi'an-Chengdu High-Speed Railway High-speed railway lines in China Rail transport in Shaanxi Rail transport in Sichuan