Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway

Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway
Line length:	1,302 km (809.0 mi)
Gauge:	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Maximum speed:	380 km/h (236.1 mph)
Stations and structures
Legend 0.000 Beijing South 59.500 Langfang Tianjin West 131.400 Tianjin South 219.270 Cangzhou West 327.980 Dezhou East Bridge over the Yellow River (5143m) 419.445 Jinan West 462.730 Taishan West 533.165 Qufu East 589.175 Tengzhou East 625.280 Zaozhuang West 688.700 Xuzhou East 756.220 Suzhou East 844.380 Bengbu South 959.390 Chuzhou South Dashengguan Bridge over the Yangtze River (14789m) 1018.600 Nanjing South 1083.713 Zhenjiang West 1111.850 Danyang North 1144.760 Changzhou North 1201.160 Wuxi East 1227.970 Suzhou North 1259.320 Kunshan South 1302.890 Hongqiao

The Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, also known as the Jinghu High-Speed Railway (simplified Chinese: 京沪高速铁路; traditional Chinese: 京滬高速鐵路), is a 1,318 kilometres (819 mi) long high-speed railway that will connect two of the most important economic zones in the People's Republic of China: the Bohai Sea Rim and the Yangtze River Delta.^[1] Construction began on April 18, 2008,^[2] it is expected to be opened in 2012.^[3]

Specifications

The continuous operating speed is expected to be 350 km/h (220 mph), with maximum speed up to 380 km/h (240 mph). The average commercial speed from Beijing to Shanghai will be 330 km/h (210 mph) and cut the train travel time from 10 hours to 4 hours.^[4] The rolling stock used on this line will be the CRH trains.

The Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway Co., Ltd. is in charge of construction. The project is expected to cost 220.9 billion yuan (about $32 billion). An estimated 220,000 passengers are expected to use the trains each day,^[1] which is double the current capacity.^[5] During peak hours there should be a train every five minutes.^[5]

1060.6 km, or 80.5% of railway will be laid on 244 bridges. The 164-km long bridge between Danyang and Kunshan will be the longest bridge in the world.^[6] The line also includes 22 tunnels, totaling 16.1 km. 1196 km of the length will be ballastless.

GSM-R and CTCS-3 based train control systems will be used on the line, to fulfill the requirement of 380 km/h of running and the minimum train interval at 3 minutes. 16-car trainset will be used, the power of each trainset will be 20 MW, at capacity of about 1050 passengers, each passenger from Beijing and Shanghai consumes less than 80 kWh in average.

History

The original Jinghu railway was completed in 1912 and it has served as China’s busiest railway for nearly a century. As population increased, the trains reached and surpassed peak capacity.

"China's railway service has long fallen short of demand," said Li Heping, a researcher at the China Academy of Railway Sciences. "There are two solutions: building more railways and raising the train speed."^[7]

Cities along the existing Beijing-Shanghai rail line account for one-quarter of the country’s population. So, the Jinghu High-Speed Railway was proposed in 1994^[5] and initial designs were completed by 1998^[8]. The new rail line will run parallel to the existing Beijing-Shanghai main railway line.

"The project would ease the pressure on tight rail transport capacity between the two most populous regions and help promote technological innovation and industrial update," said Vice-Premier Zhang Dejiang.^[7]

Technology debate

China’s Ministry of Railways promised an opening date for the new line in 2010, but engineers said construction “could take at least until the middle of the decade (2015).”^[1] However, the MOR didn’t account for the debate over technology that occurred.^[9] Initial plans outlined that only domestic technology should be used. Delays resulted in feasibility studies not being completed until March 2006.

In May 2006, the Ministry opened the project to the foreign market. Immediate international interest developed. Alstom, Siemens, and Mitsubishi-Kawasaki were all interested in providing parts for the project.

Testing began shortly thereafter between the main line section of Shanghai and Nanjing. It sat on the soft terrain of the Yangtze Delta and therefore would serve as difficult a challenge as engineers would face on the actual construction. They discovered the trains would need to be manufactured of aluminum alloy with specially designed windscreen glass capable to withstand impact from birds.

"After numerous tests, the glass for the windshield will be made from a special composite material," said Huang Qiang, chief engineer from Chinese Academy of Railway Science.^[10]

As of October 2009, the line is now expected to be completed by 2012.

The first train and beyond

The first new train rolled off the production line on April 11, 2008. It was an eight-carriage train with a streamlined body made of light aluminum alloy and capable of carrying 557 passengers.^[7] In all, there will be 57 trains in commercial operation by 2009.^[7]

Despite proposals to begin construction in 2007, the groundbreaking ceremony did not take place until April 18, 2008. Construction is now underway.

By 2020, China hopes to have extended its railways to 62,000 miles (99,779 km).^[7] Of that length, 11,160 miles (17,960 km) will be for trains running 125 miles (201 km) per hour or more, and 31,000 miles (49,900 km) will be for express trains.^[7]

Stations

21 stations are planned.^[11]

References