Lanzhou−Xinjiang railway
兰新铁路
A train running through the deserts of Xinjiang
Overview
StatusOperational
Locale People's Republic of China
Termini
Service
TypeHeavy rail
SystemChina Railway China Railway
Operator(s)China Railway Lanzhou Group
China Railway Ürümqi Group
History
Opened1966
Technical
Line length1,904 km (1,183 mi)
Number of tracks2 (Double-track railway)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Operating speed160km/h

The Lanzhou−Xinjiang railway or Lanxin railway (simplified Chinese: 兰新铁路; traditional Chinese: 蘭新鐵路; pinyin: Lánxīn Tiělù), is the longest railway in Northwestern China. It runs 1904 kilometres (1,183 miles) from Lanzhou, Gansu, through the Hexi Corridor, to Ürümqi, in Xinjiang. It was Xinjiang's only rail link with the rest of China until the opening of the Lanzhou–Xinjiang high-speed railway in December 2014. The railway follows the path of the ancient Silk Road.

History

The Lanzhou–Xinjiang railway, often abbreviated as the Lanxin line, is the longest railway built by the People's Republic of China. It was built by the China Railway Engineering Corporation. Construction of the initial stage (to Ürümqi) started in 1952, completed in 1962 and opened in 1966. The extension to the Kazakhstan border was built in the late 1980s, linkup with the Kazakhstan Railroads achieved on September 12, 1990. After the completion of the 20 km Wushaoling Tunnel in 2006, the railway from Lanzhou to Ürümqi is all double-tracked.

Route

Lanxin railway in Linze County, Gansu

The Lanxin railway's eastern terminus is Lanzhou railway station. Lanzhou is a railway junction city in eastern Gansu Province, where the Lanzhou–Qinghai, Baotou–Lanzhou and Longhai Railways converge. From Lanzhou, the line heads west, across the Yellow River, into the Hexi Corridor, where it passes through Gansu cities Wuwei, Jinchang, Zhangye, Jiuquan and Jiayuguan, en route to Xinjiang. Once in Xinjiang, the railway passes through Hami, Shanshan, Turpan and Dabancheng, before reaching Ürümqi in central Xinjiang.

The Lanxin railway is sometimes categorized to include the Northern Xinjiang railway, which continues west from Ürümqi to Alashankou, on the Kazakhstan border. The distance from Alashankou to Lanzhou is 2360 km. Beyond Alashankou, the railway links up with the Turkestan–Siberia railway of Central Asia and eventually reaches Rotterdam.

Station list

Station Chinese Distance (km) Location
Lanzhou
Longhai railway
Baotou–Lanzhou railway
兰州0LanzhouGansu
Lanzhou West兰州西LanzhouGansu
Stations in between

陈官营 - 西固城 - 坡底下 - 河口南 Lanzhou–Qinghai railway
大路 - 新屯川 - 华家山 - 龙泉寺 - 马家坪
永登 - 中堡 - 屯沟湾 - 富强堡 - 天祝
石门河 - 安家河 - 打柴沟 - 深沟 - 岔西滩
金强河 - 乌鞘岭 - 青河 - 安远镇 - 沙沟台
龙沟 - 柳家台 - 十八里堡 - 古浪 - 小桥堡
双塔 - 黄羊镇 - 头坝河

Wuwei South
Ganwu railway
武威南290WuweiGansu
Wuwei武威303WuweiGansu
Stations in between

北河 - 槐安 - 截河坝 - 青山堡 - 宗家庄

Jinchang金昌377JinchangGansu
Stations in between

东大山 - 玉石 - 芨岭 - 尖山 - 大青田口
马莲井 - 东明 - 山丹 - 东乐 - 西屯 - 太平堡

Zhangye张掖547ZhangyeGansu
Stations in between

乌江堡 - 平原堡 - 临泽 - 新华庄 - 高台
梧桐泉 - 许三湾 - 屯升

Qingshui清水684JiuquanGansu
Stations in between

丰乐滩 - 上河清 - 金佛寺 - 红山堡

Jiuquan

Jiuquan–Ejin railway

酒泉748JiuquanGansu
Jiayuguan
Jiayuguan–Jingtieshan Railway
Jiayuguan–Ceke Railway
嘉峪关770JiayuguanGansu
Stations in between

大草滩 - 黑山湖 - 玉门 - 新民堡 - 鄯马河
腰泉子 - 五华山

Diwopu低窝铺880JiuquanGansu
Stations in between

玉门镇 - 军垦

Shulehe疏勒河925JiuquanGansu
Stations in between

疏勒河 - 河东 - 桥湾 - 柳沟 Dunhuang Railway - 安北
金泉 - 石板墩 - 峡东 - 峡口

Liuyuan柳园1067JiuquanGansu
Xiaoquan East小泉东1083JiuquanGansu
Daquan大泉1104JiuquanGansu
Zhaodong照东1126JiuquanGansu
Hongliuhe红柳河1153JiuquanGansu
Tianhu天湖1176HamiXinjiang
Weiya尾亚1197HamiXinjiang
Sitian思甜1219HamiXinjiang
Shankou山口1242HamiXinjiang
Yandun烟墩1262HamiXinjiang
Yanquan盐泉1287HamiXinjiang
Hongqicun红旗村1301HamiXinjiang
Hongguang红光1328HamiXinjiang
Hami哈密1339HamiXinjiang
Huoshiquan火石泉1352HamiXinjiang
Toubao头堡1368HamiXinjiang
Erbao二堡1384HamiXinjiang
Liushuquan柳树泉1398HamiXinjiang
Yaziquan雅子泉1426HamiXinjiang
Liaodun了墩1455HamiXinjiang
Shisanjianfang十三间房1496HamiXinjiang
Station in between 大步
Shanshan鄯善1609TurpanXinjiang
Qiquanhu七泉湖1696TurpanXinjiang
Meiyaogou煤窑沟1708TurpanXinjiang
Station in between 夏普吐勒
Turpan
Southern Xinjiang Railway
吐鲁番1749TurpanXinjiang
Station in between 天山
Dabanqiao达板桥1802ÜrümqiXinjiang
Yanhu盐湖1827ÜrümqiXinjiang
Chaiwobao柴窝堡1841ÜrümqiXinjiang
Sangezhuang三葛庄1859ÜrümqiXinjiang
Station in between 芨芨槽子
Wulabo乌拉泊1883ÜrümqiXinjiang
Ürümqi South
Northern Xinjiang Railway
Second Ürümqi–Jinghe Railway
乌鲁木齐南1892ÜrümqiXinjiang

The northern branch

The railway's northern branch extends 477 kilometres from Ürümqi to Alataw Pass (its westernmost point), where China's Alashankou railway station is connected to Kazakhstan's Dostyk station.

The southern branch

The railway also has a southern branch, which splits off the main line near Turpan (east of Ürümqi), and runs west to Kashgar at the westernmost tip of the country. It was completed in 1999.

Cargo

Xinjiang coal is one of the main types of freight shipped along the railway. In 2010, the railway is expected to ship 30 million tons of it, and by 2012, the amount is anticipated to rise to 50 million tons.[1]

Parallel high-speed passenger rail line

A new high-speed passenger rail line from Lanzhou to Xinjiang opened in December 2014.[2] The line is mostly parallel to the existing Lanxin railway, with the exception of also serving Xining, Qinghai rather than staying entirely within Gansu province on the way to Xinjiang. The estimated cost was 143.5 billion yuan. Since the completion of this route, the older Lanxin railway is used mostly for freight.[3]

There is also a planned railway connecting Golmud and Korla, to be an alternative railway corridor to Xinjiang.

References

  • "Xinjiang Travel Guide". China Travel Guide. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved December 24, 2005.
  • "The Economic Development of Xinjiang After the Founding of New China". Government White Papers. Retrieved December 24, 2005.
  • "Lanzhou–Xinjiang Railway". China Railway Engineering Corporation. Archived from the original on March 2, 2006. Retrieved December 24, 2005.
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