Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu passenger-dedicated line

This article is about the existing medium-speed railway line between Shanghai and Chengdu. For the newer line running parallel to it under construction, see Yangtze River passageway.

Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu high-speed railway 沪汉蓉快速客运通道
Overview
Owner	China Railway
Locale	Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Chongqing, Sichuan
Termini	Shanghai Hongqiao Shanghai Chengdu East
Service
Type	High-speed rail Heavy rail
Operator(s)	China Railway High-speed
History
Opened	July 1, 2014
Technical
Line length	2078 km
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Operating speed	200–350 km/h (120–220 mph)
Route map Template:BS-map

Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu passenger-dedicated line
Simplified Chinese	沪汉蓉快速客运通道
Traditional Chinese	滬漢蓉快速客運通道
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hùhànróng Kuàisù Kèyùn Tōngdào

Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu high-speed railway (Chinese: 沪汉蓉快速客运通道), is a fully completed high-speed railway corridor operated by China Railway High-speed. The Chinese name of the railway line, Huhanrong, is a combination of the abbreviations for Shanghai (沪, Hù), Wuhan (汉, Hàn), and Chengdu (蓉, Róng), three major cities along the line.

The Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu passenger-dedicated line is one of the four east–west high-speed rail corridors outlined in China's national high-speed rail plan. From east to west, it will connect the major cities of Shanghai (a provincial-level municipality), Nanjing (the capital of Jiangsu), Hefei (the capital of Anhui), Wuhan (the capital of Hubei), Chongqing (a province-level municipality), and Chengdu (the capital of Sichuan). The total population of the four provinces and two municipalities served by this rail line is over 320 million (as of 2008).

Despite its name, the line is actually a medium-speed railway designed to run at a maximum speed of 200 km/h (120 mph) in most sections. The newer Yangtze River passageway, running parallel to it at 350 km/h (220 mph), is being planned to manage the increasing passenger traffic.

Components

All sections are now operational.

Operational lines are marked with green background.

Section	Description	Designed speed (km/h)	Length (km)	Construction start date	Open date
Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu high-speed railway	HSR Corridor through the Yangtze Valley consisting of an intercity railway line, and 7 mixed-use HSR segments connecting Nanjing, Hefei, Wuhan, Yichang, Lichuan, Chongqing, Suining & Chengdu.	350-200	2078	2003-12-01	2014-07-01
Shanghai–Nanjing section (Shanghai–Nanjing Intercity Railway)	HSR connecting Shanghai and Nanjing	350	301	2008-07-01	2010-07-01
Nanjing–Hefei section (Hefei–Nanjing Passenger Railway)	Mixed passenger & freight HSR connecting Nanjing & Hefei	350	166	2005-06-11	2008-04-18
Hefei–Wuhan section (Hefei–Wuhan Passenger Railway)	Mixed passenger & freight HSR connecting Hefei & Wuhan	350	351	2005-08-01	2008-12-31
(Wuhan)Hankou–Yichang section (Hankou-Yichang Railway)	Mixed passenger & freight HSR connecting Wuhan & Yichang	200	293	2008-09-17	2012-07-01
Yichang–Lichuan section (Yichang-Wanzhou Railway)	Mixed passenger & freight HSR connecting Yichang & Lichuan	200	377	2003-12-01	2014-07-01
Lichuan–Chongqing section (Chongqing-Lichuan Railway)	Mixed passenger & freight HSR connecting Lichuan & Chongqing	200	264	2008-12-29	2013-12-28
Chongqing–Suining section (Suining-Chongqing Railway)	Mixed passenger & freight HSR connecting Chongqing & Suining	200	132	2009-01-18	2009-9-29
Suining–Chengdu section (Dazhou-Chengdu Railway)	Mixed passenger & freight HSR connecting Suining & Chengdu.	200	148	2005-05	2009-06-30

Shanghai–Nanjing

Main article: Shanghai–Nanjing Intercity Railway

See also: Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway

From Shanghai to Nanjing, the line is called the Shanghai–Nanjing Intercity Railway. The Shanghai-Nanjing Intercity Railway opened on July 1, 2010. It has a designed operating speed of 350 km/h (220 mph). Shanghai is an important railway hub, also serving as the terminus of the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway, which is a high-speed railway that parallels all of this section, as well as the Shanghai–Kunming high-speed railway.

Nanjing to Hefei

Main article: Hefei–Nanjing Passenger Railway

From Nanjing to Hefei, the line is called the Hefei–Nanjing Passenger Railway. The Hefei–Nanjing Passenger Railway is shared with the Nanjing–Xi'an Railway. It has a designed speed of 250 km/h (160 mph). At Hefei, a connection is available to the Hefei–Bengbu high-speed railway, which is a branch line of the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway.

Hefei to Wuhan

Main article: Hefei–Wuhan Passenger Railway

From Hefei to Wuhan, the line is called the Hefei–Wuhan Passenger Railway, with a designed speed of 250 km/h (160 mph). At Wuhan, a connection is available to the Beijing–Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong high-speed railway, an important north-south railway line from Beijing to Guangzhou and Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Wuhan to Yichang

Main article: Wuhan–Yichang Railway

From Wuhan to Yichang, the line is called the Wuhan–Yichang Railway.

Yichang to Chongqing

Yichang–Wanzhou Railway

Main article: Yichang–Wanzhou Railway

The Yichang–Wanzhou Railway connects the cities of Yichang, Lichuan, and Wanzhou. The Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu Passenger Dedicated Line only uses the Yichang to Lichuan portion of the Yichang–Wanzhou Railway. (The actual spliting point of Yichang-Wanzhou and Chongqing-Lichuan railways is Liangwu Railway Station)

Unlike other sections of the Shanghai-Chengdu railway, as of the beginning of 2014 the Yichang–Lichuan–Wanzhou does not yet have proper high-speed train service (D- or G-series). It is used extensively by "conventional" passenger trains (with the T-series being the fastest). The delay with the introduction of the high-speed service on this section is explained by the need to integrate signalling and other infrastructure. Regular CRH services between Chongqing and Wuhan is expected to commence on July 1, 2014, after renovations and other associated high-speed rail works are completed. However, the opening of high-speed service (as opposed to "regular" trains) on the Yiwan line won't happen until July 1, 2014.

Chongqing–Lichuan Railway

Main article: Chongqing–Lichuan Railway

At Lichuan, the Chongqing–Lichuan Railway connects it with the city of Chongqing.

Chongqing to Chengdu

Suining–Chongqing Railway

The Suining–Chongqing Railway connects the cities of Chongqing and Suining. Its designed operating speed is 200 km/h (120 mph).

Dazhou–Chengdu Railway

The Dazhou–Chengdu Railway is a railway connecting the cities of Dazhou, Suining, and Chengdu. The Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu Passenger Dedicated Line uses only the section from Suining to Chengdu. Chengdu marks the western terminus of the line.

Routing

While some sections of the line parallels existing conventional railways, others have been constructed on a new separate alignment, done to avoid difficult terrain, provide a more direct route or to serve areas where no rail service existed before. In particular, until the completion of the Shanghai–Nanjing Intercity Railway, passenger trains between Shanghai and Nanjing ran on the "conventional", but greatly upgraded, Jinghu railway; conventional railways likewise have long existed along fairly direct routes between Nanjing and Hefei, or between Chongqing and Chengdu.

On the other hand, the Hefei-Wuhan Railway, which involved a significant amount of tunneling when passing through the Dabie Mountains, allowed to significantly shorten the railway distance between Nanjing and Wuhan. The Yichang-Lichuan-Wanzhou and Lichuan-Chongqing sections are routed through the mountainous areas of the southwestern Hubei and the eastern section Chongqing Municipality, where no railways or reliable highways previously existed, providing a much more direct rail connection between the Sichuan Basin and Eastern China than previously existing ones (such as the one using the older Xiangyu Railway).