Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu passenger-dedicated line

Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu passenger-dedicated line or Huhanrong PDL (Chinese: 沪汉蓉快速客运通道), is a fully completed rail corridor in China. It is operated by CR Shanghai Group, CR Wuhan Group and CR Chengdu Group. The Chinese name of the railway line, Huhanrong, is a combination of the abbreviations for Shanghai (, ), Wuhan (, Hàn), and Chengdu (, Róng), three major cities along the line.

Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu
passenger-dedicated line
CRH Logo
Overview
Native name沪汉蓉快速客运通道
StatusOperational
Owner
Locale
Termini
Stations99
Service
TypeHigh-speed rail
Heavy rail
SystemChina Railway High-speed China Railway High-speed
Operator(s)
History
OpenedJuly 1, 2014 (2014-07-01)
Technical
Line length2078 km
Number of tracks2 (Double-track)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz AC (Overhead line)
Operating speed350–200 km/h (220–120 mph)
Maximum incline1.8%
Route map

0,km
Nanjing South
Left arrow Nanjing–Xi'an railway to Yongningzhen
Tingzishan
Jiangsu
Anhui
border
0,367
Quanjiao
Huang'an
Chaobei
Feidong
Sanshilipu
0,465
Hefei
Taohuadian
Hefei West
Hefei South
Chang'anji
Liu'an
Dushan
0,609
Jinzhai
Tiantangzhai
Anhui
Hubei
border
Dunyitang
Sanhe
Macheng North
Hong'an West
Hengdian East
Wuhan
0,829
Hankou
Hanchuan
0,912
Tianmen South
Xiantao West
0,963
Qianjiang
1,033
Jingzhou
Zhijiang North
1,121
Yichang East
Yichang South
Chexi
Changyang
Langping
1,244
Badong
Gaoping
Luoshuidong
1,300
Jianshi
Baiyangping
Baiguo
1,335
Enshi
Qingkou
1,397
Lichuan
1,499
Wanzhou
Dazhou to Chengdu railway
Liangwu
Shaziguan
1,491
Shizhuxian
1,540
Fengdu
1,582
Fuling North
1,606
Changshou North
Fusheng
1,674
Chongqing North
Jingkou
Huilongba
Beibei
Shizishan
1,740
Hechuan
Taihezhen
1,790
Tongnan
Sanxing
1,842
Suining
Daying
Zitong
Jingtang
Longtansi
Bali
1,987
Chengdu East
0,km
Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu passenger-dedicated line
Simplified Chinese快速客运通道
Traditional Chinese滬漢蓉快速客運通道
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinHùhànróng Kuàisù Kèyùn Tōngdào

The Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu railway is one of the four east–west high-speed rail corridors outlined in China's national high-speed rail plan. From east to west, it will connect the major cities of Shanghai (a provincial-level municipality), Nanjing (the capital of Jiangsu), Hefei (the capital of Anhui), Wuhan (the capital of Hubei), Chongqing (a province-level municipality), and Chengdu (the capital of Sichuan). The total population of the four provinces and two municipalities served by this rail line is over 320 million (as of 2008).[1]

Despite its name, the line is actually a medium-speed railway designed to run at a maximum speed of 200 km/h (120 mph) between Nanjing and Chongqing. The newer Yangtze River corridor, running parallel to it at 350 km/h (220 mph), is being planned to manage the increasing passenger traffic.

Components

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All sections are now operational.

Operational lines are marked with green background.

Section Description Designed
speed
(km/h)

Length
(km)

Construction
start date

Open date
Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu passenger railway
 
PDL through the Yangtze Valley consisting the Shanghai–Nanjing section of the Beijing–Shanghai line, and 7 mixed-use HSR segments connecting Nanjing, Hefei, Wuhan, Yichang, Lichuan, Chongqing, Suining & Chengdu. 350-200 2078 2003-12-01 2014-07-01
Shanghai–Nanjing section Shares tracks with the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway and Shanghai–Nanjing Intercity Railway. 350 301 2008-04-18
2008-07-01
2010-07-01
2011-06-30
Nanjing–Hefei section
(Hefei–Nanjing railway)
Mixed passenger & freight HSR connecting Nanjing & Hefei 250 166 2005-06-11 2008-04-18
Hefei–Wuhan section
(Hefei–Wuhan railway)
Mixed passenger & freight HSR connecting Hefei & Wuhan 250 351 2005-08-01 2008-12-31
(Wuhan)Hankou–Yichang section
(Hankou–Yichang railway)
Mixed passenger & freight HSR connecting Wuhan & Yichang 200 293 2008-09-17 2012-07-01
Yichang–Lichuan section
(Yichang–Wanzhou railway)
Mixed passenger & freight HSR connecting Yichang & Lichuan[2] 200 377 2003-12-01 2014-07-01
Lichuan–Chongqing section
(Chongqing–Lichuan railway)
Mixed passenger & freight HSR connecting Lichuan & Chongqing 200 264 2008-12-29 2013-12-28
Chongqing–Suining section
(Suining–Chongqing railway)
Mixed passenger & freight HSR connecting Chongqing & Suining 200 132 2009-01-18 2009-09-29
Suining–Chengdu railway Mixed passenger & freight HSR connecting Suining & Chengdu. 200 148 2005-05 2009-06-30

Shanghai–Nanjing

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From Shanghai to Nanjing, the line uses the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway and the Shanghai–Nanjing intercity railway both lines have the designed speed of 350 km/h (220 mph).

Nanjing to Hefei

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From Nanjing to Hefei, the line is called the Hefei–Nanjing railway. The Hefei–Nanjing Railway is shared with the Nanjing–Xi'an railway. It has a designed speed of 250 km/h (160 mph). At Hefei, a connection is available to the Hefei–Bengbu high-speed railway, which is a branch line of the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway, although both Shanghai-Chengdu Main Line and Hefei-Bengbu branch has now mostly used Hefei South Railway Station instead.

Hefei to Wuhan

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From Hefei to Wuhan, the line is called the Hefei–Wuhan railway, with a designed speed of 250 km/h (160 mph). At Wuhan, a connection is available to the Beijing–Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong high-speed railway, an important north-south railway line from Beijing to Guangzhou and Kowloon, Hong Kong, although Hankou Railway Station instead of Wuhan Station is on the main line.

Wuhan to Yichang

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From Wuhan to Yichang, the line is called the Wuhan–Yichang railway.

Yichang to Chongqing

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Yichang–Wanzhou railway

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The Yichang–Wanzhou railway connects the cities of Yichang, Lichuan, and Wanzhou. The Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu passenger-dedicated line only uses the Yichang to Lichuan portion of the Yichang–Wanzhou Railway. (The actual splitting point of Yichang-Wanzhou and Chongqing-Lichuan railways is Liangwu railway station)

Due to harsh terrains some part of this section has a maximum speed of 140–160 km/h (87–99 mph), which is the lowest in China's high-speed network.

Chongqing–Lichuan railway

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At Lichuan, the Chongqing–Lichuan railway connects it with the city of Chongqing.

Chongqing to Chengdu

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Suining–Chongqing railway

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The Suining–Chongqing railway connects the cities of Chongqing and Suining. Its designed operating speed is 200 km/h (120 mph).

Suining–Chengdu railway

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The Suining–Chengdu railway connects the cities of Suining and Chengdu. Its designed operating speed is 200 km/h (120 mph). Until 2009, this line was considered to form part of the Dazhou–Chengdu railway.

Chengdu–Chongqing intercity railway

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The newly constructed Chengdu–Chongqing intercity railway links Chengdu and Chongqing directly using a southern route (via Neijiang). This line is operated at 300–310 km/h (186–193 mph) which is much faster than the above two lines.

Routing

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While some sections of the line parallels existing conventional railways, others have been constructed on a new separate alignment, done to avoid difficult terrain, provide a more direct route or to serve areas where no rail service existed before. In particular, until the completion of the Shanghai–Nanjing intercity railway, passenger trains between Shanghai and Nanjing ran on the "conventional", but greatly upgraded, Jinghu railway; conventional railways likewise have long existed along fairly direct routes between Nanjing and Hefei, or between Chongqing and Chengdu.

On the other hand, the Hefei-Wuhan railway, which involved a significant amount of tunneling when passing through the Dabie Mountains, allowed to significantly shorten the railway distance between Nanjing and Wuhan. The Yichang-Lichuan-Wanzhou and Lichuan-Chongqing sections are routed through the mountainous areas of the southwestern Hubei and the eastern section Chongqing Municipality, where no railways or reliable highways previously existed,[3] providing a much more direct rail connection between the Sichuan Basin and Eastern China than previously existing ones (such as the one using the older Xiangyu railway).

References

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  1. ^ See sources for population in List of Chinese administrative divisions by population; mostly it is the China Statistical Yearbook 2009.
  2. ^ "Yiwan Railway: a project with 253 bridges and 159 tunnels". Xinhua. 2010-12-23. Archived from the original on 2011-01-03. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
  3. ^ See e.g. the characterization of the China National Highway 318 and China National Highway 209 as "unstable and unsafe" in: Yichang-Wanzhou Railway (SEIA) Archived 2009-08-07 at the Wayback Machine (Asian Development Bank, June 2003), p.6