Railway communication in China is one of the priority modes of transport for both short and long distances. The track infrastructure is very developed and of high quality. It took many years and finances to build and improve it. The railway from China has connections with the transport systems of Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, North Korea.
History of the railway
In different historical periods, the construction of railways in China was carried out in different ways. In 1876, the first line was laid, which connected Shanghai with Wusong.
In 1881, it was decided to build a ten-kilometer road from the Zitang Shanquan area to the Suige settlement. In the period from 1876 to 1911, the country was building roads, the length of which was 9100 km. In 1912, the first concept of building a railway was proposed. By 1949, the length of the canvas in the country had reached 26,200 km.
In Old China, construction was carried out at a slow pace, in small quantities and with poor quality. Cloths were laid mainly along the coast. There were no railways in the southwest and northwest of the country. The paths were divided into sections and controlled by different institutions.
Under the New China, the Ministry of Railways appeared, under whose department all railway communications were transferred. A program of work was created for the construction and restoration of roads and bridges. China was developing, the railway had grown by 1996, and its length reached 64,900 km. Stations were built and restored, the production of diesel locomotives, electric locomotives, passenger cars increased.
By 2013, the length of railway lines was 103,144 km. As a result of the transformations, the capacity and speed of trains have increased. The volume of freight and passenger traffic has increased, and the density of train traffic has increased.
By 2020, it is planned to build more than 120,000 km of tracks in the state. A railway from China is being built towards Khabarovsk. In addition, a project is being developed that will connect the Chinese South Xinjiang line with Kyrgyzstan.
Scheme of railway tracks
Now China's railway infrastructure is one of the most developed. The length of the roads 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, deep into the continental part.
The population in China is distributedunevenly, and China's railway pattern has the highest density in the southwest and east of the country. To cover the entire territory of the Republic, the network of roads is expanding, new technologies are being introduced.
Train classification
In China, the train number is indicated by a capital letter and numbers. The letter indicates the category of the train. The train category is affected by speed, service, number of stops.
- G-type train - bullet speed, can reach speeds up to 350 km/h.
- The D-type train is a high-speed train, its speed is more than 200 km/h, it stops only at the main stations along the way. The trains include carriages of the first, second class, there are sleeping places.
- Z-type train - travels non-stop, speed reaches 160 km/h, stops at major stations. As a rule, this is a night train, it consists of reserved seats and compartments.
- T-type train - express, its speed reaches 140 km/h, it stops in big cities and at transport stations. The train has seating, reserved seat and compartment cars.
- K-type train - speeds up to 120 km/h, stops both in big cities and towns. It has seating and second-class carriages.
- Trains without a letter - No Prefix, these include old trains with a very low speed.
Classes on trains
Cars in Chinese trains can be divided into 4 types (classes).
- Soft sleeper is a double or quadruple coupe.
- The hard sleeper is a six-bay coupe.
- Soft sitting.
- Hardseated.
On D-type trains, there is a concept of "seat first and second class", their difference lies in the comfort of the seats.
High-speed trains
China, in order to continue to develop dynamically, needs to move quickly and conveniently. For this, the government of the country is doing everything possible. One of China's largest infrastructure projects is the construction of a high-speed rail network. It has a wide scope, covers a large territory of the country and is one of the most grandiose in the world. Also, the impetus for the construction of such lines was the Olympics in 2007.
Most of the high-speed railways in China are built on overpasses - they are in the form of bridges hundreds of kilometers long. The average train speed is 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 maximum speed of the train can reach up to 350 km/h.
In China, there is the following classification of lines by speed:
- Regular (100-120 km/h).
- Mid-speed (120-160 km/h).
- High Speed (160-200 km/h).
- High speed (200-400 km/h).
- Ultra high speed (over 400 km/h).
High mountain lines
The construction of a high- altitude railway in China began in 1984. At first, an easy section was mastered, and since 2001, they began to develop a difficult segment. In the summer of 2006, the mostthe highest mountain railway in the world is Qinghai-Tibet. It connects China with Tibet, its length is 1956 km. A 1142 km long section of the path passes through the mountains. About 550 km of the railway track is laid in the alpine tundra zone, the highest mark of the road reaches 5072 meters above sea level.
Passengers during the trip do not suffer from symptoms of altitude sickness, as the carriages are sealed, and the air in the carriages is enriched with oxygen, there is protection from solar radiation.
In the alpine tundra zone, the train moves at a speed of 100 km/h, on the rest of the track, the train moves at a speed of 120 km/h.
The railway from China to Tibet provides stable communication between states. Ease and quick access ensured its popularity not only for residents of these countries, but also for tourists.
Railways on Hainan Island
China's high-speed railways are developed not only on the mainland, but also on the islands. Their construction on the island of Hainan is interesting and unique. 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 piecemeal. The work was finally completed in 2004. In 2006-2007, it underwent modernization, and now it serves trains with a speed capacity of 120-160 km/h. In 2007, a connection appearsrailway of the island with the mainland by ferry.
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 commissioned.
Features of Chinese Railways
In China, there is a special regime for admission to the platform. You can get to the train only at the time of its delivery. At the stations he passes non-stop, only employees of the station can be observed.
China has poor transport links with neighboring countries. Despite the fact that there is a through route and functioning 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 purchase a ticket only at the box office. A Chinese ID card is required when purchasing from a machine.
There is virtually no commuter service in the country.
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 villages or cities with a historical past.
New stations are mainly built on the outskirts of settlements. Existing railroad tracks are moved from the center, old buildings are demolished or reconstructed. Chinese stations can be compared withairports - they are large, equipped with infrastructure and have many levels.
In China, it is impossible to get to the train station without a ticket, only to some very limited sectors. But at old stations, you can get on the platform before boarding; for this, you need to purchase a special ticket at the box 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 Chinese Eastern 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 project is being developed for the Eurasian High-Speed Transport Corridor, which will connect Beijing with Moscow. The paths will pass through the territory of Kazakhstan, the travel time on them will take two days.
