Shijiazhuang-Jinan railway expands high-speed network
2017-12-28 13:02Ecns.cn
Editor: Mo Hong'e
A high-speed passenger railway linking Hebei's provincial capital of Shijiazhuang and Jinan, capital of neighboring Shandong Province starts operation, Dec. 28, 2017. (Photo/China News Service)
(ECNS) -- A high-speed passenger railway linking Hebei's provincial capital of Shijiazhuang and Jinan, capital of neighboring Shandong Province, started operation on Thursday amid China's ongoing efforts to enhance its railway network.
The centerpiece of China's high-speed rail grid, known as "Four Vertical and Four Horizontal," is composed of eight rail corridors, four running north-south and four east-west.
The Shijiazhuang-Jinan railway is part of a horizontal trunk line from western Taiyuan, capital of coal-rich Shanxi Province, to eastern Qingdao, a coastal city in Shandong.
The 319-kilometer railway, with a designed speed of 250 kilometers per hour, will shorten the current four-hour traveling time between Shijiazhuang and Jinan to one hour and twenty minutes. Construction started in August 2013.
The Shijiazhuang-Jinan link also means a high-speed railway connection among regions traditionally affected by the Yanshan Mountains and Taihang Mountains, making Shijiazhuang an important hub closely linked with Beijing, Tianjin, Dezhou in Shandong by high-speed trains.
In another development, as China Railway Corp. started the new timetable on Thursday, more high-speed trains now connect southwestern regions with Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province. It takes 7 hours and 47 minutes to travel from Chengdu City, capital of southwestern Sichuan Province, to Beijing by the country's next generation bullet train "Fuxing," cutting the time by half.
Tianjin, about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing, also links Chengdu directly with a high-speed train for the first time in history.
"Fuxing" debuted on the Beijing-Shanghai line in June. The new bullet trains, also known as electric multiple units (EMU), boast top speeds of 400 kilometers per hour and a consistent speed of 350.
China has the world's longest railway network at 22,000 kilometers by the end of 2016, about 60 percent of the world's total.
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China's newly built railway prioritizes ecosystem protection
CGTN
Published on Dec 28, 2017
China's newly built Jiujiang-Jingdezhen-Quzhou Railway prioritizes ecosystem protection. During its construction, the railway avoided passing through 19 natural reserves and had bird repelling devices installed along the route. The 333-kilometer line is designed for both passenger and freight transport, with a maximum speed of 200 kilometers
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Chongqing-Taiyuan high-speed railway put into operation
Source:Xinhua Published: 2017/12/29 8:50:36
A steward arranges luggage for passengers on a bullet train running from Chongqing North Station in southwest China's Chongqing to Taiyuan South Station in north China's Shanxi Province, Dec. 28, 2017. The 1,312-kilometer-long high-speed railway linking Chongqing and Taiyuan was officially put into operation on Thursday. Travel time between the two cities would be 9.5 hours. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)
Passengers take a bullet train running from Chongqing North Station in southwest China's Chongqing to Taiyuan South Station in north China's Shanxi Province, Dec. 28, 2017. The 1,312-kilometer-long high-speed railway linking Chongqing and Taiyuan was officially put into operation on Thursday. Travel time between the two cities would be 9.5 hours. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)
Passengers pose for pictures before boarding a bullet train from Chongqing North Station in southwest China's Chongqing to Taiyuan South Station in north China's Shanxi Province in Chongqing North Station, Dec. 28, 2017. The 1,312-kilometer-long high-speed railway linking Chongqing and Taiyuan was officially put into operation on Thursday. Travel time between the two cities would be 9.5 hours. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)