Beijing–Shanghai railway

This article is about the lower-speed rail line between Beijing and Shanghai. For the new high-speed line, see Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway.

Beijing–Shanghai railway
The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, an important part of the railway, was opened for traffic in 1968
Overview
Status	In operation
Locale	Beijing, Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Shanghai
Termini	Beijing Shanghai
Stations	89
Service
Type	Heavy rail
System	China Railways
Operator(s)	China Railways
History
Opened	1968
Technical
Line length	1,451.4 km (901.9 mi)
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification	25 kV AC
Operating speed	160–200 kilometres per hour (99–124 mph) (operations) 200–250 kilometres per hour (120–160 mph) (design)
Signalling	ABS
Route map link to Cross-city railway Beijing West 0 Beijing to Beijing–Harbin railway Harbin to Beijing–Tianjin ICR Tianjin 8.6 Beijing South to Beijing–Shanghai HSR Shanghai Hongqiao to Beijing–Kowloon railway Beijing West Fengtai to Beijing–Guangzhou and Fengtai–Shacheng railways Guangzhou and Shacheng to Fengtai West marshalling yard to Beijing–Kowloon railway 33.1 Huangcun to Beijing–Kowloon railway Changping 73.2 Langfang North Yangcun Tianjin–Jizhou railway Jizhou Hangouzhen Tianjin–Bazhou railway Bazhou Beicang Nancang marshalling yard Tianjin–Shanhaiguan railway Shanhaiguan 136.1 Tianjin West Shuohuang Railway Shenchi South Huanghua Port 251.2 Cangzhou 291.5 Botou Shijiazhuang–Dezhou railway Shijiazhuang 365.8 Dezhou Beijing Group Jinan Group Huangheya Deda Railway Dajiawa Pingyuan Handan–Jinan railway Hándān South Yancheng North Yancheng New Jinan Yellow River Bridge, Luokou Yellow River Bridge Qiaonan (South Bridge) from Jinan Railway Qingdao–Jinan railway Qingdao 470 Jixi marshalling yard Jinan to Jinan Railway Dangjiazhuang Taifei Railway Feicheng 555.8 Taishan Xindian–Taian railway Laiwu Shanxi–Henan–Shandong railway Watang – Jufeng Ciyao Ciyao–Laiwu railway Dongdu, Laiwu East Luzhou North marshalling yard Xinxiang–Yanzhou railway Xinxiang 640.4 Zhangzhou Chengjiazhuang Yanzhou–Shijiusuo railway Rizhao 673 Zoucheng Jingting Jingting–Linyi railway Zhu Bao 735.5 Zaozhuang West Jinan Group Shanghai Group link to Longhai railway Xuzhou North marshalling yard Longhai railway Lanzhou, Ürümqi 802.9 Xuzhou Longhai railway Lianyungang Fuliji–Jiahezhai railway Huaibei Fuliji (now freight only) Suzhou–Huai'an railway Huai'an 877.9 Suzhou Huai River Bridge 968.2 Bengbu Shuijiahu–Bengbu railway Shuijiahu Bengbu South link Bengbu South Bengbu East marshalling yard link to Shuijiahu–Bengbu railway Jiangqiao 1094.4 Chuzhou North to Hefei–Nanjing passenger railway Hankou Yongningzhen (no passengers or freight now) Nanjing–Qidong railway Nantong Linchang (now freight only) link to Nanjing North Yangtze River Bridge link to Nanjing West 1150.1 Nanjing to Shanghai–Nanjing ICR Shanghai, Shanghai Hongqiao Nanjing–Tongling railway Tongling link to Beijing–Shanghai HSR etc Nanjing South Nanjing East marshalling yard Qixia Mountain Tunnel 1213.9 Zhenjiang 1242.1 Danyang 1286.3 Changzhou 1325.4 Wuxi Suzhou West freight yard 1367.7 Suzhou 1402.2 Kunshan Lujiabang Nanxiang marshalling yard to Shanghai–Nanjing ICR Nanjing Shanghai–Kunming railway Hangzhou, Kunming Shanghai West 1451.4 Shanghai Shanghai passenger train depot

The Beijing–Shanghai railway or Jinghu railway (simplified Chinese: 京沪铁路; traditional Chinese: 京滬鐵路; pinyin: Jīnghù tiĕlù) is a railway line between Beijing and Shanghai.

The line has a total length of 1,462 km (908 mi) and connects the municipalities of Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai, as well as the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu. It is commonly referred to as the Jinghu railway, taking on the abbreviated names of the two terminal cities. In Chinese, Jing means "capital" and refers to Beijing, and Hu is the abbreviated name for Shanghai.

History

The Beijing–Shanghai railway is composed of three sections. These three sections are some of the earliest railways in China, built before 1910 during the Qing dynasty. The first section is from Beijing to Tianjin, constructed as part of the Imperial Railways of Northern China between 1897 and 1900.

The second section is from Tianjin to Pukou – a suburb of Nanjing – and used to be called the Tianjin–Pukou railway.

The third section is from Nanjing to Shanghai, built between 1905 and 1908. This section is called Shanghai–Nanjing railway. During 1927–1949, however, when China's capital was Nanjing, this section alone was called the "Jinghu" railway.

Between Pukou and Xiaguan, the railway crosses the Yangtze River. Before the completion of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge in 1968, the trains were ferried across car-by-car. Passengers could also disembark at Nanjing North (Pukou), take a passenger ferry, and take a train again at the then Nanjing main station south of the river (now known as Nanjing West).

After the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge was completed in 1968, these three sections were linked together and renamed as a single Beijing–Shanghai or Jinghu railway.

Current status

The railway line is the principal line between Beijing and Shanghai and along with the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway, it serves as one of the busiest rail corridors in China. It has dual tracks between Beijing and Shanghai, and the full length of the railway has been electrified. The entire line is dual tracked. Passenger rail service now offers overnight service on CRH Sleepers (D-series trains).

D type express overnight sleeper bullet trains have now commenced operation between Beijing and Shanghai. There are currently 3 overnight D bullet trains. Overnight Bullet trains take between 9 hours and 59 minutes to 11 hours, 47 minutes to complete the trip and are Soft sleeper only.

On June 30, 2011, the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway opened and runs roughly parallel to the Beijing–Shanghai railway. The opening of the high-speed railway relieved the Beijing–Shanghai railway from overcrowding, and it's increasingly shifted to freight traffic. As of 2017, two regular trains per day go the full way from Beijing to Shanghai on the old line, although hundreds of trains still use selected sections of it.

See also

• Rail transport in the People's Republic of China
• List of railways in China
• Stations on the Beijing–Shanghai railway