Guangzhou–Zhuhai railway

Not to be confused with Guangzhou–Zhuhai intercity railway.
Guangzhou–Zhuhai railway
Guangzhou–Zhuhai railway
Overview
StatusOperational
Termini
Service
TypeHeavy rail
History
Opened29 December 2012
Technical
Line length189 km (117 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification50 Hz 25,000 V
Operating speed120 km/h (75 mph)

Guangzhou–Zhuhai railway (Chinese: 广珠铁路) is a railway between Jiangcun (Chinese: 江村) in Guangzhou and Gaolan Port (Chinese: 高栏港) in Zhuhai, via the cities of Foshan and Jiangmen, in Guangdong, China. Opened at the end of 2012, it is currently used for freight only.

Role

Until the 21st century, Zhuhai did not have any railway connections to the rest of the country. Now, however, there are two new railways there: besides the Guangzhou–Zhuhai railway for freight trains, the passenger-only Guangzhou–Zhuhai intercity railway started construction in 2005 and was to be completed in 2010.[1] Since the intercity rail will take up the role of the passenger service between Guangzhou and Zhuhai/Jiangmen, this can explain why Guangzhou–Zhuhai railway will not be routed via Guangzhou City Area.[2]

History


Map of 2012 Guangzhou-Zhuhai railway route

This railway project was approved by the State Development Planning Commission in 1993. The construction originally started in 1997, but it was stopped later due to lack of funds. Construction was resumed in 2007; at the time, it was expected to be completed in 2011.[3][4] However, work did not proceeded as fast as expected; as of December 2011, it was reported that although most of the critical components of the project was completed, there was still about 100 m to go at the Jiangmen tunnel (see below), and the Jiangbei Bridge was still under construction.[5]

In mid-October 2012, it was reported that the construction work has been essentially completed.[6] The railway opened for freight traffic on December 30, 2012.[7]

Infrastructure

The line has a total length of 189 kilometres (117 mi) and a maximum speed of 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph). Between Jiangcun and Jiangmen, the line is double-track. From Jiangmen to Gaolan Port, the line is single-track. The entire line is electrified with provisions to allow for operating double-stack container trains.[8]

Jiangmen tunnel

Constructing the railway involved digging a 9185 m long tunnel in Jiangmen. By May 2010, over half of the tunnel had been dug, and the entire tunnel was expected to be completed by the end of February 2011.[9] However, as of December 2011, it was reported that the workers still had about 100 m to go.[5]

Future

The railway is expected to carry passenger services in the future.

Nansha Port railway

Main article: Nansha Port railway

A branch from Yayao railway station,[10] the Nansha Port railway, will link the line with Nansha port and will also carry passengers to Nansha railway station.

References

  1. ^ Guangzhou–Zhuhai railway to resume construction after decade suspension
  2. ^ 停工八年广珠铁路复建　在新轨运行不停广州 (Chinese Version)
  3. ^ Guangzhou-Zhuhai Rail Back on Track
  4. ^ "Guangzhou–Zhuhai Railway Co. Ltd". Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
  5. ^ a b 广珠铁路公司将开行多趟直达广珠间货运列车 (The Guangzhou–Zhuhai Railway Company will run numerous direct freight trains between Guangzhou and Zhuhai), 2011-12-01 (in Chinese)
  6. ^ 广珠铁路主体工程完工 年内有望开通 (The main parts of the Guangzhou–Zhuhai railway construction project have been completed; looking forward to opening within this year), 2012年10月13 (in Chinese)
  7. ^ 广珠铁路首趟货运列车从珠海高栏港站首发(图) (The first freight trains runs on the Guangzhou–Zhuhai railway from Zhuhai to Guangzhou)
  8. ^ "广珠铁路首趟货运列车从珠海高栏港站首发(图)-搜狐新闻". news.sohu.com. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  9. ^ 广珠铁路 穿山4685米 入地4500米 广珠铁路 穿山4685米 入地4500米 (2010-05-15)
  10. ^ "广州南沙港铁路拟变更为客货共线 新增滨江新区站等4座车站".