Beijing–Guangzhou railway

Beijing–Guangzhou railway 京广铁路
The Jingguang railway on the Snake Hill in Wuhan. In the far background, the railway crosses the Yangtze over the Wuhan Bridge.
Overview
Status	Operational
Locale	Beijing, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong
Termini	Beijing West Guangzhou
Stations	53 active
Service
Type	Heavy rail
System	China Railway
Operator(s)	China Railway
Technical
Line length	2,324 km (1,444 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Operating speed	150–200 kilometres per hour (93–124 mph)
show Route map Legend km Beijing underground cross-city railway Beijing–Shanghai railway to Beijing Beijing–Kowloon railway Beijing West Beijing–Guangzhou HSR to Guangzhou South 0 Fengtai start of main line Beijing–Shanghai railway to Shanghai Fengtai–Shacheng railway to Shacheng Yongding River 10 20 Liangxiang Beijing Hebei Province 53 Zhuozhou 73 Gaobeidian Tianjin–Baoding intercity railway to Tianjin West 111 Xushui 135 Baoding 168 195 Dingzhou Shuozhou–Huanghua railway to Shenchi South │ to Huanghua Port 228 252 Zhengding Shijiazhuang Northwest Circular line Beijing-Guangzhou HSR Shijiazhuang tunnel Shijiazhuang–Taiyuan railway to Taiyuan to Shijiazhuang–Jinan HSR to Jinan East Shijiazhuang ( original site ) 270 Shijiazhuang Beijing-Guangzhou HSR Shijiazhuang–Taiyuan HSR Shijiazhuang Southwest Circular line 298 Yuanshi 317 Gaoyi 332 Lincheng 379 Xingtai 403 Shaheshi to & 431 Handan Handan–Changzhi railway to Handan–Jinan railway to Jinan 462 Cixian Hebei Province Henan Province 481 CR Beijing CR Zhengzhou to 491 Anyang to 513 Tangyin Watang–Rizhao railway to to 532 Hebi 550 588 598 Xinxiang Xinxiang–Yueshan railway to Yueshan Xinxiang–Yanzhou railway to Yanzhou 640 Zhengzhou-Jiaozuo intercity railway to Jiaozuo Jiayingguan Bridge│Zhengjiao Bridge over Yellow River 657 Zhengzhou Northwest Circular line 673 │ Longhai railway to Lanzhou 678 Zhengzhou Longhai railway to 682 Zhengzhou South 724 742 Changge 764 Xuchang 790 Linying CR Zhengzhou CR Wuhan to Baofeng 818 Luohe to Fuyang 840 Xiping 884 Zhumadian 941 Minggang Nanjing–Xi'an railway to Xi'an 980 Xinyang Nanjing–Xi'an railway to Nanjing 1,018 Jigongshan tunnel (5.708 km) Henan Province Hubei Province 1,039 Guangshui 1,059 1,124 Xiaogan to 1,166 Wuhan North Hefei–Wuhan passenger railway to Hefei South 1,176 Wuhan freight bypass line to 1,185 Jiang'an Hankou connection Dazhimen end of Beijing– Hankou railway Hankou CRH depot Wuhan–Xiaogan intercity railway to Hankou Hankou–Danjiangkou railway to & Wuhan–Yichang railway to Yichang East 1,199 over Han River 1,205 Hanyang Wuhan Yangtze River railway ferry Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge Wuhan–Jiujiang railway to Lushan start of Guangzhou– Hankou railway 1,214 Wuchang Wuhan–Xianning intercity railway to 1,221 Wuchang South Circular Railway to & Lushan 1,294 1,332 Hubei Province Hunan Province CR Wuhan CR Guangzhou 1,398 1,410 1,440 Miluo River 1,509 Changzhutan intercity railway 1,587 Changsha Changzhutan intercity railway Hunan–Guizhou railway 1,639 Zhejiang–Jiangxi railway G4 1,722 1,773 Hunan–Guangxi railway 1,836 1,920 Chenzhou 1,986 Hunan Province Guangdong Province 2,023 2,073 G4 2,156 Beijing-Guangzhou HSR 2,267 Guangzhou North Beijing-Guangzhou HSR Guangzhou-Maoming railway 2,294 Guangzhou Guangzhou-Shenzhen Railway km This diagram: view talk

The Beijing–Guangzhou railway or Jingguang railway (simplified Chinese: 京广铁路; traditional Chinese: 京廣鐵路; pinyin: Jīngguǎng tiělù) is a major trunk railway that connects Beijing in the north with Guangzhou in the south. This double-track electrified line has a total length of 2,324 kilometres (1,444 miles) and spans five provinces through north, central and south China. The line passes through the capitals of each of them: Shijiazhuang (Hebei), Zhengzhou (Henan), Wuhan (Hubei), Changsha (Hunan) and Guangzhou (Guangdong). The line's two terminals are the Beijing West railway station and the Guangzhou railway station.

Due to abundance of large and medium-sized cites on its route, this railway is widely recognized^{[by whom?]} as the most important conventional railway line in China.

History[]

Dazhimen Station in Hankou, the original southern terminal of the Jinghan railway

The Jingguang railway was originally two independent companies: the Beijing–Hankou railway in the north from Beijing to Hankou, and the Guangdong–Hankou railway in the south from Wuchang to Guangzhou. Hankou and Wuchang were cities on opposite sides of the Yangtze River that became part of the present city of Wuhan in 1927.

The 1,215-kilometre (755 mi) long Beijing–Hankou railway (Jinghan railway) was built between 1897 and 1906.^[1] The concession was originally awarded to a Belgian company that was backed by French investors. A strong desire to bring the route under Chinese control led to the formation of the Bank of Communications to secure the financing needed to repatriate the railway. The successful redemption of the railway in 1909 enhanced the prestige of the Communications Clique, which became a powerful political force in the early Republic.^[2]

Construction of the Guangdong–Hankou railway (Yuehan railway) began in 1900 and progressed more slowly.^[1] The concession was originally awarded to the American China Development Company, but a diplomatic crisis erupted when the Belgians purchased a controlling interest in it. The concession was cancelled in 1904 to prevent Franco-Belgian interests from controlling the entire Beijing–Guangdong route.^[2] The Guangzhou–Sanshui branch line was completed in 1904.^[3] The Changsha–Zhuzhou section was then completed in 1911, followed by the Guangzhou–Shaoguan section in 1916, and the Wuchang–Changsha section in 1918.^[1] Work on the final section between Zhuzhou and Shaoguan began in 1929 but was not completed until 1936.^[1][4]

On 7 February 1923, workers of the Beijing-Wuhan Railway Workers' association launched a massive strike demanding better workers' rights and protesting oppression by warlords. The strike, organized by Shi Yang and Lin Xiangqian, was an early example of worker mobilization by the Communist Party of China.^[5]

Major stations[]

An SS8 locomotive hauling a passenger train at Huaishuling in Fengtai District, Beijing.

From north to south:

km	Station	Metro connections	Province
0,000	Beijing West	7   9
0,000	Fengtai	10
0,135	Baoding		Hebei
0,270	Shijiazhuang	2   3
0,431	Handan
0,598	Xinxiang		Henan
0,678	Zhengzhou	1
0,818	Luohe
0,980	Xinyang
1,000	Hankou	2	Hubei
1,214	Wuchang	4   7
1,440			Hunan
1,587	Changsha	2   3
1,639
1,773
2,073			Guangdong
2,294	Guangzhou	2   5

Service[]

The Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, built in 1957, connected the Beijing–Hankou railway and Guangzhou–Wuchang railways to form the Jingguang railway.

Currently, the Beijing–Kowloon "Jingjiu" through train operates on this line. Prior to 2003, this train called at stops along the route, before border controls were set up at Beijing, which made the compartments to Kowloon sterile, making the intermediate stops available for use only for domestic passengers in separate carriages attached at Guangzhou East Station.

Parallel lines[]

The Beijing–Kowloon railway, completed in 1996, is another "conventional" railway connecting Beijing with the Pearl River Delta. It runs mostly within a corridor 100–300 kilometres (60–190 miles) to the east of the Beijing–Guangzhou railway.

The Beijing–Guangzhou high-speed railway runs through the same major cities as the original railway, on a slightly different route that avoids built-up areas and has a greater curve radius allowing for higher speeds and a somewhat shorter overall length. In most cities along the line, the high-speed trains stop at different, purpose-built stations, rather than the older stations served by the original line.^[6] The Wuhan–Guangzhou section of the high-speed railway opened in 2009, and the Beijing–Wuhan section in 2012.

As consecutive sections of the Beijing–Guangzhou high-speed railway became operational, the railway authorities shifted much of passenger traffic from the original railway to the new high-speed line. This allowed an increase in the amount of freight volume transported over the original route. For example, according to preliminary estimates, after the entire Beijing–Guangzhou high-speed railway opens, the annual freight capacity of the northern half of the Beijing–Guangzhou railway (between its two main freight stations, Beijing's Fengtai West Station and Wuhan North railway station) would increase by 20 million tons.^[7]

Accidents[]

On 29 June 2009, two passenger trains collided at Chenzhou station, leaving three people dead and 63 injured.^[8]

See also[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Beijing-Guangzhou Railway.

• List of railways in China
• Beijing-Kowloon Railway
• Rail transport in the People's Republic of China

References[]