Xinyi-Changxing Railway
Encyclopedia
Xinyi-Changxing Railway or Xinchang Railway , also known as the Xinchang Line , is a single-track railroad in eastern China between the cities of Xinyi, Jiangsu
Province and Changxing County
in Zhejiang Province
. It runs north-south through the entire length of Jiangsu Province and northern tip of Zhejiang. Major cities along route include Huaian
, Yancheng
, Haian, Jingjiang
, Jiangyin
and Yixing
. Including a 62.5km spur from Haian to Nantong
, the Xinchang Railway is 638 km in total length.
. Construction began in September 1998 and the entire line was completed in April 2005. Passenger and freight service commenced on July 1, 2005. A connection to Nantong was added in 2008.
, Xuancheng-Hangzhou Railways in the south.
The Xinchang Line is the only major inland rail lines in China to use a river ferry. The railway does not have a bridge or tunnel crossing at the Yangtze River
, so trains must be ferried across the river from Jingjiang to Jiangyin. A pair of ferries make 48 trips per day across the river.
Xinyi, Jiangsu
Xinyi is a city district of Jiangsu, China. It is under the administration of Xuzhou city.-Transportation:Xinyi is a railway junction on the Longhai Railway. It is the southern terminus of the Jiaozhou-Xinyi Railway and the northern terminus of the Xinyi-Changxing Railway.-References:*...
Province and Changxing County
Changxing County
Changxing County is a county in the prefecture-level city of Huzhou, Zhejiang, China. Situated in the northern part of Zhejiang Province, it is close to the border of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui Province and serves as an important city in transportation.Changxing has since 2004 a Twin City ...
in Zhejiang Province
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
. It runs north-south through the entire length of Jiangsu Province and northern tip of Zhejiang. Major cities along route include Huaian
Huai'an
Huai'an , known as Huaiyin before 2001, is a prefecture-level city in northern Jiangsu province of Eastern China. It borders Suqian to the northwest, Lianyungang to the north, Yancheng to the east, Yangzhou to the southeast, and the province of Anhui to the southwest.The municipality has 4,799,889...
, Yancheng
Yancheng
Yancheng is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. The city with the largest jurisdiction area in Jiangsu, Yancheng borders Lianyungang to the north, Huai'an to the west, Yangzhou and Taizhou to the southwest, Nantong to the south, and looks out to...
, Haian, Jingjiang
Jingjiang
Jingjiang is a county-level city in China's Jiangsu province. It is located on the northern bank of the Yangtze river. Originally belonging to Yangzhou city, Jingjiang was transferred to Taizhou city in 1996...
, Jiangyin
Jiangyin
Jiangyin is a city in China's Jiangsu province on the Yangtze River. It has population of 1.2 million . The total GDP reached RMB 171.3 billion yuan in 2009, an increase of 11.6% from 2008. The GDP per capita reached RMB 142,572 yuan...
and Yixing
Yixing
Yixing is a county-level city in Jiangsu province, in eastern China with a population of 1.3 million. It is well-known for its Yixing clay and the pottery -- especially the "zisha"-style teapots -- made from the clay...
. Including a 62.5km spur from Haian to Nantong
Nantong
Nantong is a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. Located on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, near the river mouth, Nantong is a vital river port bordering Yancheng to the north, Taizhou to the west, Suzhou and Shanghai to the south across the river, and...
, the Xinchang Railway is 638 km in total length.
History
The Xinchang Railway was the first railway to be built in Jiangsu Province north of the Yangtze RiverYangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
. Construction began in September 1998 and the entire line was completed in April 2005. Passenger and freight service commenced on July 1, 2005. A connection to Nantong was added in 2008.
Route
The Xinchang Railway connects the Longhai and Jiaozhou-Xinyi Railways in the north with the Nanjing-Nantong, Beijing-ShanghaiJinghu railway
The Beijing–Shanghai Railway or Jinghu railway is a railway line in China between Beijing and Shanghai. The line has a total length of 1,462 kilometres and connects the municipalities of Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai, as well as the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu...
, Xuancheng-Hangzhou Railways in the south.
The Xinchang Line is the only major inland rail lines in China to use a river ferry. The railway does not have a bridge or tunnel crossing at the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
, so trains must be ferried across the river from Jingjiang to Jiangyin. A pair of ferries make 48 trips per day across the river.