Beijing–Yuanping railway

Beijing–Yuanping railway
An ordinary passenger train near Beijing Garden Expo Park in 2018
Overview
Native name	京原铁路
Status	In operation
Termini	Shijingshan South railway station Yuanping railway station
Stations	50
Service
Type	Heavy rail
Operator(s)	China Railway
History
Opened	1973
Technical
Line length	418.64 km (260.13 mi)
Number of tracks	1
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Operating speed	80 km/h (50 mph)
Route map km elev Fengsha Railway to Beijing Fengtai 25 Shijingshan South 101 Railway to 101 Xichang Railway Beijing West–Liangxiang Fengsha Railway to Shacheng 35 Dahuichang 44 Shangwan 53 Nanguancun Yanfang northeast loop railway Fangshan railway 56 Yanshan 60 Lianggezhuang link to Zhoukoudian railway 73 Gushankou siding to military facility successive tunnels 79 Yunjusi Hengling tunnel (3161.10 m) 87 Sanhezhuang successive tunnels 98 Shidu 103 Pingyu Beijing Hebei 112 Yesanpo 120 Bailixia 127 Fushankou 134 Baijian 139 Bancheng 147 Nanchengsi 155 Qifengta 163 Zijingguan 171 Dapanshi 179 Tayayi 185 Wang'anzhen siding to Laiyuan steel works 197 Futuyu 203 Beitun 210 Laiyuan 220 Xiaoxizhuang 229 Aihe Yimaling tunnel (7032.10 m) Hebei Shanxi 241 Zhaobai 248 Yunling 256 Dajian Beijing Group Taiyuan Group 263 Lingqiu 275 Tangzhiwa 283 Donghe South 294 Pingxingguan Pingxingguan tunnel (6188.60 m) 304 Dongyudi 312 Dongzhuang 321 Daying 329 Jinshanpu 337 Wutaishan 346 Jiyizhuang 356 Huayan 365 Fanshi 374 Xiashe 384 Zaolin 396 Daixian 408 Yangmingbao 415 Wangdongbao 423 Guoyangzhen Jingyuan Railway to Hanjialing 434 Xuegu Tongpu Railway to Datong 444 Yuanping Tongpu Railway to Lanzhou West

Shidu station in Fangshan District, Beijing

The Beijing–Yuanping railway or Jingyuan railway (simplified Chinese: 京原铁路; traditional Chinese: 京原鐵路; pinyin: jīngyuán tiělù), is a railway line in northern China between Beijing, the national capital, and Yuanping in Shanxi Province. The line is 418 km (260 mi) in length, and traverses through Beijing Municipality, Hebei Province and Shanxi Province. The Beijing–Yuanping railway was built between 1965 and 1971, and entered into operation in 1973. At the time of its construction, the line was primarily intended to transport coal from Shanxi and move military assets in the event of a national defense emergency. The line runs almost entirely in mountainous terrain. Major cities and counties along the route include Beijing, Laiyuan, Lingqiu, Fanshi, Dai and Yuanping.

Route

In Beijing, the Jingyuan Line begins at the Shijingshan South Railway Station, a junction with the Fengtai–Shacheng railway in Fengtai District west of the city, and runs westward through Shijingshan District and Fangshan Districts into the Western Hills. The line passes Zhoukoudian and follows the gorge of Juma River from Sandu in western Fangshan, upriver to Laiyuan in Hebei Province. Along the way, the line passes through scenic areas including Shidu, the Zijingguan Great Wall, and the Eastern Qing Tombs. From Laiyuan, the line continues westward through the Taihang Mountains into Shanxi. West of Lingqiu, the line follows the Hutuo River into the Yiding Basin, where the line runs between the Heng and Wutai Mountains to Dai County and Yuanping. At Yuanping, the line connects to the Datong–Puzhou railway.

History

The Beijing–Yuanping railway was planned and built by the People's Liberation Army Rail Corps. In June 1965, the Rail Corps assigned its 4th and 13th Divisions to begin preparatory work in Fangshan and Laiyuan, but the 13th Division was reassigned to support North Vietnam in the Vietnam War and the 14th Division was ordered to take its place. By spring 1967, the work began on the Yimaling and Pingxingguan Tunnels. The two tunnels, respectively, at 7,032 m (23,071 ft) and 6,190 m (20,308 ft) in length, were longest and third longest railway tunnels in China at the time. Due to the mountainous terrain, the line has 120 tunnels that are collectively 97 km (60 mi) in length and 216 bridges that are collectively 20 km (12 mi) in length. The Cultural Revolution caused disruption and shortage of materials which delayed the completion of the railway, originally scheduled for 1970. The laying of tracks was completed on October 30, 1971. In 1973, the rail line officially entered into operations.

Rail connections

• Shijingshan South: Fengtai–Shacheng railway
• Yuanping: Datong–Puzhou railway

See also

• List of railways in China