Yichang–Wanzhou railway

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Yichang–Wanzhou railway
Yichang-Wanzhou section of the
standard gauge
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz AC (Overhead line)
Operating speed
  • 160 km/h (99 mph) max. (Yichang–Lichuan)
  • 120 km/h (75 mph) max. (Lichuan–Wanzhou)
Route map

Legend
km
elev
Up arrow Hanyi railway from Hankou
Jiaozuo–Liuzhou railway
Left arrow Yueshan
Liuzhou Right arrow
UpperLeft arrow Yaqueling–Yichang railway to Yaqueling
0
 Yichang East
Yangtze River Bridge
Yichang South
Chexi
(planned)
 Changyang
Baozhen tunnel
(11,595 m)
Langping
(planned)
 Yesanguan Tunnel
(13,838 m)
 Yesanguan
Gaoping
 Luoshuidong
(planned)
 Jianshi
Baiyangping
Baiguo
(planned)
 Enshi
Yunwushan tunnel
(6,682 m)
 Qingkou
Maluqing tunnel
(7,879 m)
 Lichuan
Up arrow Wuhan Group
Down arrow Chengdu Group
288
 Liangwu
Right arrow Chongqing–Lichuan railway to Chongqing North
 Wangying
(planned)
Qiyueshan
 Qiyueshan tunnel
(10,528 m)
Guancangping
(planned)
 Luotian
Guyu
(planned)
 Yubeishan
Ganziyuan
(planned)
Wuqiao
 Wanzhou Railway Bridge
377
 Wanzhou
Down arrow Dazhou–Wanzhou railway to Dazhou
This diagram:

The Yichang–Wanzhou railway, or the Yiwan railway (

Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu passenger railway. Out of the line's total 377 km (234 mi) length, 288 km (179 mi) runs on bridges or in tunnels. According to the chief engineer, Zhang Mei, the line was the most difficult ever constructed in China. Operation started on 22 December 2010.[1]

Connections

Yangtze River near the eastern terminus of the railway in Yichang
.
The railway crosses the Yangtze River a second time near its western terminus, Wanzhou. Pictured is the Wanzhou Railway Bridge.

At its eastern end, the Yichang East railway station, the Yiwan Railway connects with the high-speed Wuhan–Yichang railway to Hankou (Wuhan).

At Liangwu railway station, the Yichang–Wanzhou railway connects with the high-speed Chongqing–Lichuan railway (Yuli), the main route of the Huhanrong corridor, which provides the most direct connection to Chongqing and on to Chengdu. From Liangwu, the Yichang–Wanzhou railway heads north to reach Wanzhou. With the Yuli and Hanyi lines both in operation and in use by high-speed, it will become possible to travel by train between Wuhan and Chongqing in around 5 hours, compared to the 22 hours before the opening of the Yiwan Line.[2] However, the opening of high-speed service (as opposed to "regular" trains) on the Yichang–Wanzhou railway was delayed until July 1, 2014.[3]

Until the Yuli line was completed at the end of 2013, all through traffic on the Yiwan Railway had to go along its entire length, to the line's western terminus at Wanzhou, and then over an existing railway branch to

Dazhou–Chengdu Railway.[2]

Layout

The 377 km (234 mi) long

Si Du River Bridge
for an example of engineering that was required).

Out of the entire length of the rail line, 324 km (201 mi) are in Hubei and 53 km (33 mi) in Chongqing Municipality.

Qinghai–Tibet Railway which cost U.S. $4.35 million per kilometre.[8][9]

Construction history

Construction of the Wanzhou Railway Bridge, at the western end of the Yiwan line

The railway was first proposed by Sun Yat-sen in 1903, but construction was not started until 2003 due to the difficulties of the project.[10] According to the chief engineer, Zhang Mei, the line was the most difficult ever constructed in China.[10]

As of mid-2009, the embankments, bridges, and tunnels along the Yiwan Railway had been mostly completed, and about half the rails had been laid.[4] On 18 August 2010, the line's construction was completed.[10] Local media reported that the line would become operational in November 2010.[11]

Trial operations started on 19 November,

Lichuan;[13] on 10 January 2011 a through-passenger service started from Wuhan to Chongqing over the entire Yiwan line.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "China's Yichang–Wanzhou railway begins trial operation". Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Three Gorges route linked up, Railway Gazette International, 31 August 2010
  3. ^ 去上海、去杭州……7月有望坐动车了 [Go to Shanghai, Go to Hangzhou... Looking toward the start of EMU service on July 1] (in Simplified Chinese). 成都商报. 2014-05-11.
  4. ^ a b c PRC: Yichang–Wanzhou railway Project. Environmental Monitoring Report. Asian Development Bank. Project Number: 35339. June 2009
  5. ^ Guo Rui (22 December 2010). "Expensive railway set for its maiden journey". China Daily. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  6. ^ "China's "most difficult to build" railway to open". English.news.cn. 21 December 2010. Archived from the original on February 9, 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  7. ^ 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) (Asian Development Bank, June 2003), p.6
  8. Times of India
    . 22 December 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  9. ^ 宜万铁路成中国施工最艰难路段 造价为青铁两倍] [Yiwan Railway will become China's the most difficult railway construction project. Construction costs twice as high as for the Qingzang Railway] (in Simplified Chinese). 楚网-楚天都市报. 2006-06-30.
  10. ^ a b c "China's most difficult mountain railway linked up". Xinhua. 18 August 2010. Archived from the original on August 22, 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  11. ^ 万州市民可以乘坐火车游三峡大坝了 (in Simplified Chinese). 三峡都市报. 2010-04-19.
  12. ^ China's Yichang–Wanzhou railway begins trial operation, 2010-11-19
  13. ^ Yi-Wan Railway Line Opened. Wuhan News. 26-12-2010
  14. Ifeng
    News.

External links

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