Lanzhou–Ürümqi High-Speed Railway

Lanzhou–Ürümqi High-Speed Railway 兰新铁路第二双线
Overview
Type	High-speed rail
Status	Under construction; track laying complete
Locale	China
Termini	Lanzhou Ürümqi
Stations	31
Operation
Opening	end of 2014 (projected)[1]
Operator(s)	China Railway High-speed
Technical
Line length	1,776 km (1,104 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Minimum radius	7,000 m (22,966 ft)
Operating speed	350 km/h (217 mph)[2][3]
Maximum incline	2.0%
Route map Lanzhou-Urumqi High-Speed Railway Line length: 1,776 km (1,104 mi) Track gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) Maximum speed: 350 km/h (217 mph) Stations and structures (final station names yet to be determined) Legend Lanzhou West Gaojiashan Tunnel Yellow River Bridge Minhe Ledu Ping'an Huangshuihe Bridge Ping'an Xining Datong West Dabanshan Tunnel Datonghe Bridge Menyuan Qilianshan Tunnel Jiyaoling Tunnel Junmachang Minle Bridge over G045 expressway Zhangye South Linze South Gaotai South Qingshui North Jiuquan South Jiayuguan South Jiayuguan Tunnel Qingquan South Yumenzhen Bridge over Lanxin railway Liugou South Shibandun South Liuyuan South Hongliuhe South Hongliuhe Bridge Yandun East Tudun No. 2 Interchange Bridge Hami Interchange Bridge Hami Liushuquan South Shisanjianfang Bridge Hongceng South Tuha Shanshan North Turpan North Daheyan Dabancheng Tunnel Dabancheng Wetland Bridge Yanhu West Ürümqi Ürümqi Ergong

The Lanzhou–Ürümqi High-Speed Railway, also known as Lanzhou–Xinjiang Passenger Railway or Lanxin Second Railway (兰新铁路第二双线), is a high-speed rail under construction in northwestern China. It will connect Lanzhou in Gansu Province and Ürümqi in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Construction work began on November 4, 2009. The 1,776-kilometre (1,104 mi) railway will take four years to complete, of which, 795 kilometres (494 mi) is in Gansu, 268 kilometres (167 mi) in Qinghai and 713 kilometres (443 mi) in Xinjiang. Track laying for the line was completed on November 16, 2013.^[4] 31 stations will be built along the line. The project costs 143.5 billion yuan.^[5]

Unlike the existing Lanxin railway, which runs entirely in Gansu and Xinjiang, the new high-speed rail will be routed from Lanzhou to Qinghai Province to Xining before heading northwest across the Qilian Mountains into the Hexi Corridor at Zhangye. The rail tracks in the section near Qilianshan No. 2 Tunnel is at 4,345 metres (14,255 ft) above sea level,^[6] making it the highest high-speed rail track in the world.

Wind shed

Near Shanshan, the railway will go through the hundred-li wind zone, where desert wind constantly blows most days of a year. In 2007, strong wind overturned a train on the southern branch of Lanxin Railway, and four people were killed.^[7] A 67 kilometres (42 mi) long wind-protection gallery will be built in this region.

References