The Shanghai–Hangzhou railway, also known as the Huhang railway (), is a double-track

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

in eastern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

between

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

and

Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...

Zhejiang Province ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

. Its name in Chinese, the Huhang Line, is named after the railway's two terminal cities: Shanghai, whose Chinese character abbreviation is ''hu'', and Hangzhou. The line is long and was built from 1906 to 1909. Cities along the route include Shanghai,

Jiaxing Jiaxing (), alternately romanized as Kashing, is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province, China. Lying on the Grand Canal of China, Jiaxing borders Hangzhou to the southwest, Huzhou to the west, Shanghai to the northeast, and the p ...

and Hangzhou. The line now forms part of the Shanghai–Kunming railway.

Line history

In 1898, the

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

government of China granted to Britain a concession to build a railway between Shanghai and Hangzhou. This concession drew strong domestic opposition against foreign ownership of railways. In 1905, the Qing government's railway construction policy shifted in favor of local provincial governments. Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces received approval to build the Shanghai–Hangzhou railway and raised 4.84 and 3.88 million silver dollars, respectively, for the project through chartered companies. Construction began in September 1906 on the western (Hangzhou– Fengjing) section and in February 1907 on the eastern (Fengjing–Shanghai) section. The western section entered into operation in April 1909, the two sections were joined together in June and through-train operation began in July. The line was in length. After the

Xinhai Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC). The revolution was the culmination of a decade ...

, the national government purchased the railway from the two province-chartered companies, and in 1915, the line was extended in Shanghai to join with the Shanghai–Nanjing railway at the Shanghai North railway station. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the line was bombed and rebuilt by the Japanese occupying forces. In the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...

, Nationalist forces destroyed 16 bridges on the line to stall the Communist advance on Shanghai in the spring of 1949. Service was restored on August 1, 1949, and the bridges were fully rebuilt in 1950. The line was electrified from 2004 to 2006. In 2007, during the Sixth Railway Speed-Up Campaign, the line was organized into the Shanghai–Kunming railway.

Rail connections

Beijing–Shanghai railway The Beijing–Shanghai railway or Jinghu railway () is a railway line between Beijing and Shanghai. The line has a total length of and connects the municipalities of Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai, as well as the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, ...

: Xiaoshan–Ningbo railway, Xuancheng–Hangzhou railway, Zhejiang–Jiangxi railway

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shanghai-Hangzhou Railway Railway lines in China Rail transport in Zhejiang Rail transport in Shanghai Railway lines opened in 1909

Line history

Rail connections

See also

References