Xinyi–Changxing railway

The Xinyi–Changxing railway or Xinchang railway (simplified Chinese: 新长铁路; traditional Chinese: 新長鐵路; pinyin: Xīn–Cháng tiělù), also known as the Xinchang line (simplified Chinese: 新长线; traditional Chinese: 新長線; pinyin: Xīncháng xiàn), is a single-track railway line in eastern China between the cities of Xinyi in Jiangsu Province and Changxing County in Zhejiang Province. It runs north-south through the entire length of Jiangsu Province and the northern tip of Zhejiang. Major cities along route include Huai'an, Yancheng, Hai'an, Jingjiang, Jiangyin and Yixing. Including a 62.5 km (38.8 mi) spur from Hai'an to Nantong, the Xinchang railway is 638 km (396 mi) in total length. It used a train ferry to cross the Yangtze River, but this closed in 2019. Passenger services south of Hai'an have also been abandoned.

Xinyi–Changxing railway
Xinchang railway in Yixing
Overview
Other name(s)	Xinchang railway 新长铁路
Status	Operating
Owner	Xinchang Railway Company
Locale	Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces
Termini	Xinyi Changxing South
Stations	37
Service
Operator(s)	China Railway Shanghai Group
History
Opened	January 2003 (freight) July 2005 (passengers: Huai'an–Hai'an)
Technical
Line length	561 kilometres (349 mi)
Number of tracks	1
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Minimum radius	1,000 metres (3,300 ft) 450 metres (1,480 ft) in difficult sections
Route map km elev Longhai railway to Lanzhou West Xinyi Longhai railway to Lianyungang Beigou East Gaoliu Miaotouzhen Shuyang Siyang Xuliu Suzhou–Huai'an railway to Fuliji Yuanbei Huai'an Huai'an South Huaicheng Qiuqiao Funing Jianhu Qingfengzhen Qingdao–Yancheng railway to Qingdao North Yancheng North link to Xuzhou–Yancheng HSR from Xuzhou East Yancheng Yancheng–Nantong HSR to Nantong West Dafeng West Dafeng Port railway to Dafeng Port Xinghua Dongtai Fu'an Nanjing–Qidong railway to Linchang Hai'an Nanjing–Qidong railway to Nantong East Yazhou Taixing Jingjiang Jingjiang South Jiangyin train ferry Jingjiang South-Jiangyin North (closed) Jiangyin North Jiangyin Yuecheng Qianzhou Wuxi West Wuxi North railway to Wuxi North Wujin Yixing North Yixing West Dingshan Jiapu Changxing–Niutoushan railway from Meishan Changxing South Xuancheng–Hangzhou railway to Hangzhou Xuancheng–Hangzhou railway to Xuancheng

History

The Xinchang railway was the first railway to be built in Jiangsu Province north of the Yangtze River. 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 (a section of the Nanjing–Qidong railway) was added in 2008. The train ferry closed on 16 December 2019. Passenger services south of Hai'an have also been abandoned.

Route

The Xinchang railway connects with the Longhai and Jiaozhou–Xinyi railways in the north and with the Nanjing–Nantong, Beijing–Shanghai, Xuancheng–Hangzhou railways in the south.

Until 2019, the Xinchang line was the only major inland rail line in China to use a river ferry. As the railway has no bridge or tunnel crossing at the Yangtze River, trains had to be ferried across the river from Jingjiang on the northern side of the river (terminal at 31°58′33″N 120°18′27″E) to Jiangyin on the southern side (terminal at 31°57′16″N 120°19′25″E). At its peak, a pair of ferries made 48 trips per day across the river.