The Zhengzhou–Xi'an high-speed railway, also known as the Zhengxi passenger line, is a

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...

way line operated by

China Railway High-speed China Railway High-speed (CRH) is a high-speed rail service operated by China Railway. The introduction of CRH series was a major part of the sixth national railway speedup, implemented on April 18, 2007. By the end of 2020, China Railway ...

connecting

Zhengzhou Zhengzhou (; ), also spelt Zheng Zhou and alternatively romanized as Chengchow, is the capital and largest city of Henan Province in the central part of the People's Republic of China. Located in north-central Henan, it is one of the Nationa ...

and

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqi ...

, the provincial capitals of

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is a ...

and

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...

, respectively. It went into operation on February 6, 2010. The line is one of the segments of the

Xuzhou–Lanzhou high-speed railway The Eurasia Continental Bridge corridor () is a high-speed rail corridor connecting Lianyungang, a port in northern Jiangsu province, to Ürümqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang. The corridor passes through the cities of Xuzhou (Jiangsu), Z ...

, a high-speed mainline from

Lanzhou Lanzhou (, ; ) is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. Located on the banks of the Yellow River, it is a key regional transportation hub, connecting areas further west by rail to the eastern half of the country. H ...

Xuzhou Xuzhou (徐州), also known as Pengcheng (彭城) in ancient times, is a major city in northwestern Jiangsu province, China. The city, with a recorded population of 9,083,790 at the 2020 census (3,135,660 of which lived in the built-up area ma ...

, paralleling the existing Longhai Railway line. The densely populated corridor between Zhengzhou and Xi'an, both large regional centres, is home to some 100 million people. Its top speed is in operation, the minimum travel time between the two cities is 1 hour and 58 minutes, although in practice the journey takes more than two hours with a few intermediate stops. When the high-speed line first opened, the trains departed and arrived at the "old" main train stations of

and

. Once the new Xi'an North railway station was opened all high-speed service in Xi'an was routed to it. In Zhengzhou now both the Zhengzhou Railway Station and the new Zhengzhou East railway station are served by high-speed trains from Xi'an. The faster, G-series trains on the Zhengzhou–Xi'an Railway are numbered G20xx. Westbound trains (Zhengzhou to Xi'an) are odd-numbered, while even numbers denote eastbound trains (Xi'an to Zhengzhou). With the opening of the Zhengzhou–Wuhan section of the

Beijing–Guangzhou high-speed railway The Beijing–Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong high-speed railway or Jingguangshengang high-speed railway from its Chinese name is a high-speed railway corridor of the CRH passenger service, connecting Beijingxi station in Beijing and West Ko ...

in the fall of 2012, direct high-speed service from Xi'an to Wuhan, Changsha, Guangzhou and Shenzhen was introduced. As well, after the Beijing-Shijiazhuang-Zhengzhou section of the Beijing–Guangzhou line becomes operational at the end of 2012, direct Xi'an-Beijing service became available. The railway has made air service between Zhengzhou and Xi'an uncompetitive. All passenger flights between the two cities were suspended within 48 days of start of regular high-speed rail service.

Construction

Construction work began on September 25, 2005, the railway opened for service on February 6, 2010.

CRH CRH may refer to: * Calibre radius head, a traditional British ordnance term for a concept in ballistic projectile design * Celtic Resources Holdings, an Irish mining company * China Railway High-speed, a high-speed railway service operated by China ...

trains will run at on the line. The main line is long, with another extension connecting existing Longhai Railway from Xi'an North to Xianyang Qindu. Ten railway stations were built along the line: Zhouzhou West, Gongyi South, Luoyang Longmen, Mianchi South, Sanmenxia South, Lingbao West, Huashan North, Weinan North, Lintong East, and Xi'an North. The

minimum railway curve radius The minimum railway curve radius is the shortest allowable design radius for the centerline of railway tracks under a particular set of conditions. It has an important bearing on construction costs and operating costs and, in combination with ...

is for most of the line and for some difficult sections. The distance between two parallel tracks is . The line includes the long Zhangmao Tunnel, long Hanguguan Tunnel and the long Qindong Tunnel. The line also includes the long Weihe Grand Bridge, which, upon its completion, was the longest bridge in the world.

Accidents

On November 14, 2009, a track inspection train seriously damaged of the tracks near Huashan North Railway Station during a test run. The damaged section had to be removed and replaced. The railway was originally expected to be opened in December 2009, but the accident delayed the opening of the railway for at least one month.

References

External links

Route on OpenStreetMap
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhengzhou-Xi'an High-Speed Railway High-speed railway lines in China Standard gauge railways in China *2 Railway lines opened in 2010

Construction

Accidents

References

Further reading

External links