The Zhengzhou–Xi'an high-speed railway, also known as the Zhengxi passenger line, is a
high-speed rail
High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...
way line operated by
China Railway High-speed connecting
Zhengzhou and
Xi'an
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqi ...
, the provincial capitals of
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
and
Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...
, respectively. It went into operation on February 6, 2010.
The line is one of the segments of the
Xuzhou–Lanzhou high-speed railway
The Eurasia Continental Bridge corridor () is a high-speed rail corridor connecting Lianyungang, a port in northern Jiangsu province, to Ürümqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang. The corridor passes through the cities of Xuzhou (Jiangsu), Zhen ...
, a high-speed mainline from
Lanzhou to
Xuzhou
Xuzhou (徐州), also known as Pengcheng (彭城) in ancient times, is a major city in northwestern Jiangsu province, China. The city, with a recorded population of 9,083,790 at the 2020 census (3,135,660 of which lived in the built-up area ma ...
, paralleling the existing
Longhai Railway line.
The densely populated corridor between Zhengzhou and Xi'an, both large regional centres, is home to some 100 million people. Its top speed is in operation, the minimum travel time between the two cities is 1 hour and 58 minutes, although in practice the journey takes more than two hours with a few intermediate stops.
When the high-speed line first opened, the trains departed and arrived at the "old" main train stations of
Zhengzhou and
Xi'an
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqi ...
. Once the new
Xi'an North railway station was opened all high-speed service in Xi'an was routed to it. In Zhengzhou now both the Zhengzhou Railway Station and the new
Zhengzhou East railway station are served by high-speed trains from Xi'an.
The faster, G-series trains on the Zhengzhou–Xi'an Railway are numbered G20xx. Westbound trains (Zhengzhou to Xi'an) are odd-numbered, while even numbers denote eastbound trains (Xi'an to Zhengzhou).
With the opening of the Zhengzhou–Wuhan section of the
Beijing–Guangzhou high-speed railway
The Beijing–Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong high-speed railway or Jingguangshengang high-speed railway from its Chinese name is a high-speed railway corridor of the CRH passenger service, connecting Beijingxi station in Beijing and West Ko ...
in the fall of 2012, direct high-speed service from Xi'an to Wuhan, Changsha, Guangzhou and Shenzhen was introduced. As well, after the Beijing-Shijiazhuang-Zhengzhou section of the Beijing–Guangzhou line becomes operational at the end of 2012, direct Xi'an-Beijing service became available.
The railway has made air service between Zhengzhou and Xi'an uncompetitive. All passenger flights between the two cities were suspended within 48 days of start of regular high-speed rail service.
Construction
Construction work began on September 25, 2005, the railway opened for service on February 6, 2010.
CRH CRH may refer to:
* Calibre radius head, a traditional British ordnance term for a concept in ballistic projectile design
* Celtic Resources Holdings, an Irish mining company
* China Railway High-speed, a high-speed railway service operated by Chin ...
trains will run at on the line.
The main line is long, with another extension connecting existing
Longhai Railway from
Xi'an North to
Xianyang Qindu. Ten railway stations were built along the line: Zhouzhou West, Gongyi South,
Luoyang Longmen, Mianchi South, Sanmenxia South, Lingbao West, Huashan North, Weinan North, Lintong East, and Xi'an North. The
minimum railway curve radius is for most of the line and for some difficult sections. The distance between two parallel tracks is .
The line includes the long
Zhangmao Tunnel, long
Hanguguan Tunnel and the long
Qindong Tunnel. The line also includes the long
Weihe Grand Bridge, which, upon its completion, was the
longest bridge in the world.
Accidents
On November 14, 2009, a track inspection train seriously damaged of the tracks near
Huashan North Railway Station during a test run. The damaged section had to be removed and replaced. The railway was originally expected to be opened in December 2009, but the accident delayed the opening of the railway for at least one month.
References
Further reading
Project Information Document: 37487: Xi'an-Zhengzhou Railway Development(
Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank also maintains 31 field offic ...
)
External links
Route on OpenStreetMap
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhengzhou-Xi'an High-Speed Railway
High-speed railway lines in China
Standard gauge railways in China
*2
Railway lines opened in 2010