Railway communication in China is one of the priority modes of transport for both short and long distances. Track infrastructure is very developed and of high quality. Its construction and improvement took many years and finances. The railway from China has connections with the transport systems of Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, and North Korea.
Railway history
In various historical periods, the construction of railways in China was carried out in different ways. In 1876, the first canvas was laid that connected Shanghai with Usun.
In 1881, it was decided to build a ten-kilometer-long road from Zitang Shantsuan to the Suige settlement. In the period from 1876 to 1911, construction of tracks was carried out in the country, the length of which amounted to 9,100 km. In 1912, the first railway construction concept was proposed. By 1949, the length of the canvas in the country reached 26,200 km.
In Old China, construction was carried out at a slow pace, in small quantities and with poor quality. The canvases were laid mainly along the coast. In the southwest and northwest of the country there were no railways. The tracks were divided into sections and controlled by various institutions.
Under New China, the Ministry of Railways appeared, into the department of which all railway communications passed. A program of work on the construction and restoration of roads and bridges was created. China developed, the railway expanded by 1996, and its length reached 64,900 km. Train stations were built and rebuilt; the production of diesel locomotives, electric locomotives, passenger cars increased.
By 2013, the length of the railway was 103,144 km. As a result of the transformations, the throughput and speed of train movements increased. Volumes of freight and passenger traffic increased, train density increased.
By 2020, the state plans to build more than 120,000 km of tracks. The railway from China is being built towards Khabarovsk. In addition, a project is being developed that will connect the Chinese South Xinjiang canvas with Kyrgyzstan.
Railway scheme
Now the railway infrastructure of China is one of the most developed. The length of the tracks in the country today is more than 110,000 km. Much attention is paid to the development of railway construction in port areas and to the west, inland of the continental part.
The population in the territory of the PRC is unevenly distributed, and the Chinese railway scheme has the highest density in the south-west and east of the country. To cover the entire territory of the Republic, the network of tracks is expanding, new technologies are being introduced.
Train classification
In China, the train number is indicated in capital letters and numbers. The letter indicates the category of train. The category of train is affected by speed, service, number of stops.
- A train of type “G” - super-fast, can reach speeds of up to 350 km / h.
- The “D” type train is high-speed, its speed is more than 200 km / h, it stops on the way only at the main stations. The trains include first, second class cars, there are berths.
- A train of type “Z” - travels non-stop, speeds up to 160 km / h, and stops at major stations. As a rule, this is a night train; it consists of reserved seats and compartment cars.
- A train of type “T” is an express train, its speed reaches 140 km / h, it stops in big cities and at transport stations. The train cars have sedentary, reserved seats and coupes.
- A train of type “K” - develops a speed of 120 km / h, stops both in big cities and in villages. It has sedentary cars and reserved seats.
- Trains without a letter are No Prefix, these include old trains with a very low speed.
Classes on trains
Wagons in Chinese trains can be divided into 4 types (classes).
- Soft sleeping - this coupe is double or quadruple.
- Hard sleeping is a compartment with six shelves.
- Soft sitting.
- Hard sitting.
In trains of type "D" there is the concept of "seat of the first and second class", their difference is the comfort of the seats.
High speed trains
China, in order to continue to develop dynamically, you need to move quickly and conveniently. To this end, the country's government is doing everything possible. One of the largest infrastructure projects in China is the construction of a network of high-speed railways. It has a wide scope, covers a large territory of the country and is one of the most ambitious in the world. Also the impetus for the construction of such lines was the Olympics in 2007.
Basically, high-speed railways in China are built on overpasses - they have the form of bridges hundreds of kilometers long. The speed of the train is an average of 200 km / h. The length of such routes in China at the end of 2013 amounted to 15,400 km. There are sections on the railway where the train can reach a maximum speed of 350 km / h.
In China, there is the following classification of lines by speed:
- Normal (100-120 km / h).
- Medium-speed (120-160 km / h).
- High-speed (160-200 km / h).
- High-speed (200-400 km / h).
- Ultra-high-speed (more than 400 km / h).
High mountain lines
The construction of the alpine railway in China began in 1984. First, an easy stretch was mastered, and since 2001, they began to master a difficult stretch. In the summer of 2006, the highest mountain railway in the world, Qinghai-Tibet, was opened. It connects China with Tibet, its length is 1956 km. A section of the path with a length of 1142 km passes through the mountains. About 550 km of railroad tracks are laid in the high-altitude tundra zone, the highest elevation of the road reaches 5072 meters above sea level.
During the trip, passengers do not suffer from symptoms of mountain sickness, since the cars are airtight, and the air in the cars is enriched with oxygen, there is protection against solar radiation.
In the zone of the alpine tundra, the train moves at a speed of 100 km / h, in the remaining sections of the track the train moves at a speed of 120 km / h.
The railway from China to Tibet provides a stable connection between states. The ease and quick access made it popular not only for residents of these countries, but also for tourists.
Railways on Hainan Island
High-speed railways of China are developed not only on the mainland, but also on the islands. Interesting and unique is their construction on Hainan Island. The railway on this piece of land is a ring, which is conditionally divided into western and eastern halves. The length of the ring is 308 km. Its construction in the western part of the island took place during the difficult period of World War II. It was built in parts. The work was finally completed only by 2004. In 2006-2007, it underwent modernization, and now serves trains with a speed capacity of 120-160 km / h. In 2007, a connection between the island’s railroad and the mainland appeared via ferry.
The construction of the line in the eastern part of the island began at the end of 2007, ended in 2010, and in the same year the second part of the ring was put into operation.
Features of Chinese Railways
In China, there is a special access regime for the apron. You can go to the train only at the time of its submission. At the stations, which he passes without stopping, you can observe only employees of the station.
In China, poor transport links with neighboring countries. Despite the fact that there is a through route and existing infrastructure, the railway from China is closed, and the border has to be crossed on foot.
Buying a train ticket also has its own characteristics. All tickets in China are sold only with identification documents. A guest of the country can buy a ticket only at the box office. When buying through a machine, a Chinese ID card is required.
The country has virtually no suburban traffic.
Railway stations in cities
Chinese railway stations have a typical architecture and are similar to each other. The only exceptions are old platforms in small towns or in cities with a historical past.
New stations are mainly built on the outskirts of settlements. Existing railway lines are transferred from the center, old buildings are demolished or undergo reconstruction. Chinese stations can be compared with airports - they are large-scale, equipped with infrastructure and have many levels.
In China, it is impossible to get to the station without a ticket, only in some very limited sectors. But at old stations, you can go to the platform before landing, for this you need to purchase a special ticket at the ticket office. It gives the right to be on the platform, but not to board the train.
Russia-China
Paving the way in China is historically connected with Russia. In 1897, construction began on the China-East Railway (CER), which is the southern branch of the Trans-Siberian Railway. In the period from 1917 to 1950, as a result of military and political actions, it was transferred to China and ceased to exist. It happened in 1952. Instead, the Chinese Changchun Railway appeared on the world map.
In the near future, the China – Russia railway will gain popularity. A Euro-Asian high-speed transport corridor is being developed that will connect Beijing with Moscow. The paths will pass through the territory of Kazakhstan, the travel time on them will take two days.