The Xinyi–Changxing railway or Xinchang railway (simplified Chinese: 新长铁路; traditional Chinese: 新長鐵路; pinyin: Xīn–Cháng tiělù), also known as the Xinchang line (simplified Chinese: 新长线; traditional Chinese: 新長線; pinyin: Xīncháng xiàn), is a single-track railway line in eastern China between the cities of Xinyi in Jiangsu Province and Changxing County in Zhejiang Province. It runs north-south through the entire length of Jiangsu Province and the northern tip of Zhejiang. Major cities along route include Huai'an, Yancheng, Hai'an, Jingjiang, Jiangyin and Yixing. Including a 62.5 km (38.8 mi) spur from Hai'an to Nantong, the Xinchang railway is 638 km (396 mi) in total length. It used a train ferry to cross the Yangtze River, but this closed in 2019. Passenger services south of Hai'an have also been abandoned.
History
The Xinchang railway was the first railway to be built in Jiangsu Province north of the Yangtze River. Construction began in September 1998 and the entire line was completed in April 2005. Passenger and freight service commenced on July 1, 2005. A connection to Nantong (a section of the Nanjing–Qidong railway) was added in 2008. The train ferry closed on 16 December 2019. Passenger services south of Hai'an have also been abandoned.
Route
The Xinchang railway connects with the Longhai and Jiaozhou–Xinyi railways in the north and with the Nanjing–Nantong, Beijing–Shanghai, Xuancheng–Hangzhou railways in the south.
Until 2019, the Xinchang line was the only major inland rail line in China to use a river ferry. As the railway has no bridge or tunnel crossing at the Yangtze River, trains had to be ferried across the river from Jingjiang on the northern side of the river (terminal at 31°58′33″N 120°18′27″E / 31.97583°N 120.30750°E / 31.97583; 120.30750) to Jiangyin on the southern side (terminal at 31°57′16″N 120°19′25″E / 31.95444°N 120.32361°E / 31.95444; 120.32361). At its peak, a pair of ferries made 48 trips per day across the river.
Notes
- "新长铁路7月开通长途旅客列车-搜狐新闻中心" [The Xinyi-Changxing railway will introduce long-distance passenger services in July]. Sohu. 2005-06-17. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- "泰州通火车 盐城接"大网"_新闻中心_新浪网". Sohu. 2005-07-05. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- (Chinese) "新长铁路'一线'完成铺轨" Archived July 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Mar. 20, 2008
- "The Last Inland Waterway Railway Ferry in China-Jinjiang Railway Ferry Ended Service After 15 Years(in Chinese)". Taizhou News Net. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- (Chinese) "新长铁路轮渡日运送千余车皮 有效分流沪宁铁路运输压力" Xinhua Sept. 9, 2009
