| Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line length: | 117 km (72.7 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge: | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum speed: | 350 km/h (217.5 mph) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stations and structures | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Legend
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railway (simplified Chinese: 京津城际铁路; traditional Chinese: 京津城際鐵路; pinyin: Jīng-Jīn chéngjì tiělù) is a high-speed rail, passenger-dedicated line between Beijing and Tianjin in China. The 117 km line was built to accommodate trains traveling at a maximum speed of 350 km/h (217 mph), and currently carries CRH high-speed trains running speeds up to 330 km/h (205 mph). When the line opened on August 1, 2008, it set the record for the fastest conventional train service in the world by top speed, and reduced travel time between the two largest cities in northern China from 70 to 30 minutes.[1][2]
Contents |
From Beijing South Railway Station, the line runs in a southeasterly direction, following the Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu Expressway to Tianjin. It has three intermediate stations at Yizhuang, Yongle (not yet fully built) and Wuqing. The line currently uses the Jinshan Railway for some extended services to Tanggu.
The line will eventually be extended further east from Tianjin to Tanggu. As an intercity line, it will only provide train service between the two metropolitan areas, unlike the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, a separate line under construction, which will also connect the two cities, but continue further south to Shanghai.
The Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway has a current length of 116.939 km (fare mileage: 120 km), of which roughly 100 km is built on viaducts and the last 17 kilometres on an embankment. The elevated track ensures level tracks over uneven terrain and eliminates at-grade road crossings.
The line opened on August 1, 2008 with 47 daily pairs of intercity trains between Beijing South and Tianjin. Since September 14, 2008, 10 more pairs of trains were added, reducing the minimum interval from 15 minutes to 10 minutes. On September 24, 2008, 4 pairs of trains extended to Tanggu. On September 28, 2008, 2 more pairs of trains were added into service.
These intercity trains are designated by the prefixed "C" (城) followed by four digits, from C2001 to C2298. Of these, C2001–C2198 are non-stop trains from Beijing South to Tianjin. The odd numbers for trains departing from Beijing South and even numbers for those running to Beijing South. Trains numbered C2201–C2268 are trains from Beijing South and Tianjin that stop at on the way at Wuqing and Yizhuang stations. Trains C2271–C2298 run from Beijing South to Tanggu.
In addition to the intercity service 13 pairs of trains were diverted to this line from the preexisting Beijing-Shanghai (Jinghu) Railway, including trains from Beijing South to Jinan, Qingdao, Shanghai, and Tianjin West. These Jinghu Line trains retain their D-prefix as before.
A pair of special track examination train (numbered DJ01/02) run every day in the morning before any regular trains into service. A track-measuring train (numbered DJ5581/2) runs every ten days. In summary, there are 62 pairs of train in service, 60 of them for passengers.
Three classes of seats are available on Beijing-Tianjin intercity trains:
Intercity train fares are more expensive than slower trains on preexisting lines.
The line is the first railway in China to be built for speeds above 300 km/h running. This railway line allows speeds up to 350 km/h.[3] A trip between Beijing and Tianjin takes 30 minutes.[4]
With effect from mid-2009, only CRH3 trains are used for intercity services on the line. For longer distance trains from Beijing South to Ji'nan, Qingdao, Shanghai and Yangliuqing, slower CRH2A (200 km/h, overspeed to 250 km/h on the line) are used as before.
The signaling system is built around Simis W electronic interlockings, Vicos operations control system and ETCS Level 1 train control system.[5]
The catenary system in use is Sicat HA, aluminum cantilever,[5] powered by two sub-stations at 25kV 50Hz AC.
On June 24, 2008 a Chinese conventional-wheeled train speed record was set on the line when a Siemens Velaro-derived China Railways CRH3 train reached 394.3 km/h.[4]
Construction of the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity High-Speed Rail Line began on July 4, 2005. In April 2006, Siemens and its consortium partners EEB (Electrification Engineering Bureau) and CRSC (China National Railway Signal & Communication Corporation) were awarded a contract by the Chinese Ministry of Railways (MoR) to supply and install the signaling systems, communications equipment and power supplies as well as the overhead line and to take over responsibility for system integration and overall project management.[5]
On May 11, 2007 the first interlocking container for the Beijing-Tianjin line left the Siemens factory in Brunswick, Germany. (This container had been the 1000th container shipped from the factory overall).[6]
The line opened on August 1, 2008 just before the opening of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which held some football matches in Tianjin. The introduction of high speed rail service significantly boosted rail travel between the two cities. In 2007, conventional train service between Beijing and Tianjin delivered 8.3 million rides. In the first year of high-speed rail service, from August 2008 to July 2009, total rail passenger volume between Beijing and Tianjin reached 18.7 million, of which 15.85 million rode the Intercity trains.[7] Meanwhile, during the same period, ridership on intercity buses fell by 36.8%.[8] As of September 2010, daily ridership averaged 69,000 or an annual rate of 25.2 million.[9] The line has a capacity of delivering 100 million rides annually[10] and initial estimated repayment period of 16 years.[9]
Though impressive for preliminary years, the figures are still less than 32 million annual passengers recorded for the Taiwan High Speed Rail[11], and far behind Tokaido Shinkansen line of Japan with a current average of 360,000 passengers daily and 4.9 billion cumulative passengers carried.[12]
The Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railway cost ¥20.42 billion to build and was financed by China’s Ministry of Railways and the governments of Beijing and Tianjin. As of 2010, the line cost ¥1.8 billion per annum to operate, including ¥0.6 billion in interest payments on its ¥10 billion of loan obligations.[9] The terms of the loans range from 5-10 years at interest rates of 6.3 to 6.8 percent.[9] In its first year of operation from August 1, 2008 to July 31, 2009, the line generated ¥1.1 billion in revenues on 18.7 million rides delivered and incurred a loss of ¥0.7 billion. In the second year, ridership rose to 22.3 million and revenues improved to ¥1.4 billion, which narrowed to below ¥0.5 billion.[9] To break even, the line must deliver 30 million rides annually.[9] To be able to repay principal, ridership would need to exceed 40 million.[9]
|
|||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||