Rail

2015-05-17
High-speed rail

  The high-speed service is mainly operated by China Railway High-speed. As of October 2010, China has 7,000+ km of rail track capable for 250+ km/h running. Lines capable for 300+ km/h running include:

  ·     Beijing–Tianjin Line, 117 km (73 mi) long

  ·     Wuhan–Guangzhou Line, 968 km (601 mi) long

  ·     Zhengzhou–Xi'an Line, 457 km (284 mi) long

  ·     Shanghai–Nanjing Line, 301 km (187 mi) long

  ·     Shanghai–Hangzhou Line, 160 km (99 mi) long

  ·     Guangzhou–Shenzhen Line, 160 km (99 mi) long

  ·     Beijing–Wuhan Line, 760 km (472 mi) long

  ·     Harbin–Dalian Line, 924 km (574 mi) long

  ·     Shanghai–Beijing Line, 1,380 km (857 mi) long

  

Maglev train

  China also has the world's first commercial high-speed maglev (magnetic levitation) train service (the first being opened at Birmingham International Airport, UK in 1984, however, it was not high-speed). The Chinese project was a Sino-German joint venture, 38-km long route between downtown Shanghai and the Pudong airport opened in 2003. The project cost US$1.2 billion.

  In 2004 the first Chinese-made maglev train made its debut in Dalian, a major port city in Northeast China's LiaoningProvince. The 10.3 km long train has a top speed of just under 110 kilometers per hour. Although the cost to build was high at US$6 million per kilometer, China's outlay was still only one-sixth of the world average.

Regional development

  In 1992, a new large-scale rail project was launched in China, called the "New Silk Road" or "Eurasian Continental Bridge" project. The project involved the modernization and infrastructure development of a 4,131 km (2,567 mi) railroad route starting in LianyungangJiangsu, and traveling through central and northwestern China to UrumqiXinjiang, to theAlataw Pass into Kazakhstan. From that point, the railroad links to some 6,800 km (4,225 mi) of routes that end in Rotterdam.

  China also has established rail links between seaports and interior export-processing zones. For example, in 2004 Chengdu in Sichuan was linked to theSheSpecial Economic Zones of the People's Republic of Chinanzhen Special Economic Zone in coastal Guangdong; exports clear customs in Chengdu and are shipped twice daily by rail to the seaport at Shenzhen for fast delivery.

Railway links with adjoining countries

  The only railway link China has with a neighboring country that does not have a break of gauge is with North Korea. It also has a links with Kazakhstan,Mongolia and Russia, which all use the 1,520 mm (4 ft 11 27⁄32 in) gauge and with Vietnam, where the 1,000 mm gauge is still in use.

  China does not have a direct rail link with AfghanistanBhutanIndiaKyrgyzstanNepalPakistan or Tajikistan, but is currently planning links with Laos andIndia (via Burma).

  Variable gauge axle trains are sometimes used to overcome the break of gauge with neighboring countries. The mainland is also linked to the Hong Kong, but not with the Macau, which is currently being planned.

Suburban and commuter rail systems

  China's passenger railways are mostly used for medium- and long-distance travel, with few trains stopping anywhere but at major stations in center cities. Commuter rail systems, characteristic of large European and North American cities, are uncommon in China. At the moment, radial suburban metro lines (Shanghai Metro line 9, Binhai Mass Transit, and Guangfo Metro, etc.) are currently filling in this role. However, Beijing Suburban Railway, and some high-speed regional ICLs such as theGuangzhu MRT and Chengdu–Dujiangyan ICL recently started operating.

Metro in the special administrative regions

  Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway was planned, designed, constructed and opened under British administration, it was opened in 1979 and merged with the KCR network in 2007 to form a 10 line heavy metro operation and Light Rail service.

  The Macau LRT was first proposed in 2003, but final go ahead was not given until a public announcement by the Government of Macau was made in October 2006. The Macau Light Transit System will serve the Macau Peninsula, Taipa island, Cotai reclamation area and Macau International Airport.

  
[ Web editor:    Source:wikipedia ]