Xinyi–Changxing railway

The Xinyi–Changxing railway or Xinchang railway (simplified Chinese: 新沂长兴铁路; traditional Chinese: 新沂長興鐵路; pinyin: Xīnyí Chángxīng tiělù), also known as the Xinchang line (simplified Chinese: 新长线; traditional Chinese: 新長線; pinyin: Xīncháng xiàn), is a single-track railroad in eastern China between the cities of Xinyi, Jiangsu Province and Changxing County in Zhejiang Province. It runs north-south through the entire length of Jiangsu Province and the northern tip of Zhejiang. Major cities along route include Huai'an, Yancheng, Hai'an, Jingjiang, Jiangyin and Yixing. Including a 62.5 km spur from Haian to Nantong, the Xinchang railway is 638 km in total length. It used a train ferry to cross the Yangtze River, but this closed in 2019. Passenger service south of Hai'an have also been abandoned.

Xinyi–Changxing railway
新沂长兴铁路
The Xinchang railway in Yixing
Overview
Other name(s)Xinchang railway
StatusOperating
OwnerXinchang Railway Company
LocaleJiangsu and Zhejiang provinces
TerminiXinyi
Changxing South
Stations37
History
Opened
  • January 2003 (freight)
  • July 2005 (passengers: Huaian–Haianxian)
Technical
Line length561 kilometres (349 mi)
Number of tracks1
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in)
Minimum radius
  • 1,000 metres (3,300 ft)
  • 450 metres (1,480 ft) in difficult sections
Route map

km
Xinyi
Xinyi South
Gaoliu
Miaotouzhen
Shuyang
Siyang
Xuliu
Suzhou–Huai'an railway to Fuliji
Yuan North
Huai'an
Huai'an South
Huaicheng
Qiuqiao
Funing
Jianhu
Qingfengzhen
Yancheng North
Yancheng
Dafeng West
Xinghua
Dongtai
Fuan
Hai'an
Nanjing–Qidong railway to Nantong East
Xingyazhou
Taixing
Jingjiang
Jingjiang South
Jiangyin train ferry Jingjiang South-Jiangyin North (closed)
Jiangyin North
Jiangyin
Yuecheng
Qianzhou
Wuxi West
Wuxi North railway to Wuxi North
Wujin
Yixing North
Yixing West
Dingshan
Jiapu
Meishan railway from Meishan
Changxing South

History

The Xinchang railway was the first railway to be built in Jiangsu Province north of the Yangtze River. Construction began in September 1998 and the entire line was completed in April 2005. Passenger and freight service commenced on July 1, 2005. A connection to Nantong (a section of the Nanjing–Qidong railway) was added in 2008.[1] The train ferry closed on 16 December 2019.[2] Passenger service south of Hai'an have also been abandoned.

Route

The Xinchang railway connects with the Longhai and Jiaozhou–Xinyi railways in the north and with the Nanjing–Nantong, Beijing–Shanghai, Xuancheng–Hangzhou railways in the south.

Until 2019, the Xinchang line was the only major inland rail line in China to use a river ferry. As the railway has no bridge or tunnel crossing at the Yangtze River, trains had to be ferried across the river from Jingjiang on the northern side of the river (terminal at 31°58′33″N 120°18′27″E) to Jiangyin on the southern side (terminal at 31°57′16″N 120°19′25″E). At its peak, a pair of ferries made 48 trips per day across the river.[3]

Notes

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