Xiamen–Shenzhen railway

Hangzhou–Fuzhou–Shenzhen high-speed railway Xiamen–Shenzhen Section 杭福深高速铁路厦深段
Overview
Type	High-speed rail Heavy rail
Locale	Fujian and Guangdong
Termini	Shenzhen North Xiamen North
Operation
Owner	China Railway
Operator(s)	China Railway High-speed
Technical
Line length	502.4 km (312 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification	50Hz 25,000V
Operating speed	200 km/h (124 mph)
Route map To Fuzhou South via Fuxia railway 0 km Xiamen North -13 km Xiamen Qianchang 24 km Jiaomei To Yingtan via Yingxia railway 42 km Zhangzhou To Longyan via Longxia railway 87 km Zhangpu 118 km Yunxiao 150 km Zhao'an Guangdong / Fujian border 168 km Raoping Guangmeishan railway 209 km Chaoshan Chaoyang 262 km Puning 293 km Kuitan 323 km Lufeng 358 km Shanwei 391 km Houmen 426 km Huidong 458 km Huizhou 478 km Pingshan 514 km Shenzhen North To Guangzhou on Guangshen'gang XRL

The Xiamen–Shenzhen railway, also known as the Xiashen railway, (Chinese: 厦深铁路) is a dual-track, electrified, high-speed rail line connecting the major coastal cities of Xiamen in Fujian Province and Shenzhen in Guangdong Province. The line has a total length of 502.4 km (312.2 mi) and forms part of China's Southeast Coast High-Speed Rail Corridor.^[1] Construction of the Xiashen Line began on November 23, 2007, and the line entered into operation on December 28, 2013.^[2]

The line is designed for trains running at top speeds of 200 kilometres per hour, and has reduced travel time between Xiamen and Shenzhen from 11 hours to 3 hours and 40 minutes.^[1] Currently, CR Guangzhou offers C-train services from Shenzhen North to Shanwei vice versa.

Route

The Xiamen–Shenzhen railway follows the rugged southern coast of China. Major cities and towns along route include Zhangzhou, Zhao'an, Raoping, the Chaoshan region (Chaozhou and Shantou), Puning, Shanwei, Huidong and Huizhou.^[1]

History

The Xiamen–Shenzhen railway is the first railway to be built on the southern coast of China. Most high-speed rail lines in China follow the routes of older conventional railroads, but there were no railways on the southeast coast before the arrival of high-speed rail.

Historically, the southeast coastal region relied on maritime transportation, and rugged terrain made railway construction more expensive. In the first half of the 20th century, warfare and political instability delayed railway construction. During the Cold War, the southeast coast faced the threat of invasion from Republic of China on Taiwan and all railways were built inland. Only when political tensions across the Taiwan Strait eased in the late 1990s did planning of the Xiashen Line proceed.

Construction of the Xiashen Line commenced in November 2007 and the line was initially expected to open in 2011. But the anticipated completion was repeatedly delayed due to further safety reviews and inspections after the Wenzhou High-Speed rail crash. In December 2012, the anticipated opening date was pushed to October 2013.^[3] Test runs did not commence until November 2013,.^[4] The line officially opened on December 28, 2013 with trains service from Shenzhen North to Shanghai Hongqiao.^[2][5]

At the time of the line's opening, the price of a ticket between Xiamen and Shenzhen was Y181.50 and Y160, respectively, for first and second class seats.^[6]

Rail connections

• Xiamen: Fuzhou–Xiamen railway, Yingtan–Xiamen railway
• Zhangzhou: Longyan–Xiamen railway
• Chaoshan: Guangzhou–Meizhou–Shantou railway – The rail connection is still under construction and is expected to be completed by the end of 2017, with Shantou railway station available for direct transfer.
• Shanwei railway station: Guangzhou-Shantou high-speed railway, which is currently under construction.
• Shenzhen Pingshan railway station: Guangzhou–Shenzhen railway – despite the station could be available for direct transfer, most trains passing this connection do not stop at this station.
• Shenzhen North: Beijing–Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong high-speed railway

See also

• List of railways in China

References