Baoji–Chengdu Railway

Baocheng Railway near Yangpingguan.

Baoji–Chengdu Railway
Legend
to Longhai Railway 0 km Baoji to Longhai Railway Wei River Baoji South 45 km Qinling 67 km Honghuapu 91 km Fengzhou 103 km Feng County* entering Gansu Province 120 km Hongqing 125 km Lijiahe 135 km Liangdang 151 km Hui County re-entering Shaanxi Province 174 km Baishuijiang 182 km Hongweiba 190 km Matiwang 199 km Xujiaping 208 km Hengxianhe 215 km Lueyang County 237 km Lesuhe 247 km Gaotanzi 259 km Juting to Yangpingguan–Ankang Railway 271 km Yangpingguan 283 km Yanziban entering Sichuan Province 302 km Datan 323 km Chaotian District 341 km Ranjiahe 350 km Guangyuan to Guangyuan–Wangcang Railway Guangyuan South Zoumaling Zhaohua Shaxiba 415 km Zhuyuan Banzhuyuan Majiaoba Erlang Temple Houba Xiaoxiba Shuanghekou 512 km Jiangyou Sanhechang Shimaba 554 km Mianyang Zaojiaopu Tanjiaba 584 km Luojiang Huangxu 608 km Deyang Shifang 631 km Guanghan to Chengdu–Wenchuan Railway to Dazhou–Chengdu Railway Xindu District to Chengdu–Pujiang Railway 669 km Chengdu to Chengdu–Kunming Railway

The Baoji–Chengdu Railway or Baocheng Railway (simplified Chinese: 宝成铁路; traditional Chinese: 寶成鐵路; pinyin: bǎochéng tiělù), is a mixed single- and double-track, electrified, railroad in China between Baoji in Shaanxi province and Chengdu in Sichuan province. The Baocheng Line is the main railway connection between the northern/northwestern and southwestern China. The line has a total length of 668.2 km and passes through mostly mountainous terrain in southern Shaanxi, eastern Gansu and northern Sichuan. It opened in 1961 as the first rail outlet from Sichuan, and in 1975 became the first railway in China to be electrified. Other cities along route include Mianyang, Guangyuan, Guanghan and Lueyang.

Line Description

Baocheng Railway near the Jialing River.

The Baocheng Line runs from the plains of the Sichuan Basin to the Wei River Valley. It traverses the Qin Mountains, the east-west range that divides northern from southern China. The line has 304 tunnels and 1,001 bridges, which collectively account for 17% of the total track length.

In Baoji, the line meets the Longhai Railway, on which trains can travel east to Xian and the Central Plains or west to Lanzhou and the northwest. At Yangpingguan, the line intersects with the Yangpingguan–Ankang Railway which branches eastward along the Han River Valley. In Chengdu, the line connects with the Chengyu Line to Chongqing, Chengqian Line to Guizhou, and Chengkun Line to Kunming.

History

The opening of the first electrified railway in China on August 15, 1961. (Baocheng Railway, Baoji - Fengzhou section).

The Baocheng Line was originally proposed in Sun Yat-sen's 1913 China National Railway Plan as part of the Datong-Chengdu Railway. Construction began in Chengdu on July 1, 1952 and from Baoji in January 1954. The line opened on January 1, 1958. The Baoji-Fengzhou section electrified in 1961, becoming the first railway to be electrified in the country. The entire line was electrified in 1971. Construction of a second track between Chengdu and Yangpingguan began in 1993 and was completed in 1999. From Yangpingguan to Baoji, the line remains single-track. The railway was badly damaged by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

The Baoji–Chengdu Railway, together with the Xi'an-Baoji section of the Longhai Railway, presently forms the main railway route between Xi'an and Chengdu (and, in general, between North China and Sichuan). However, the Xi'an–Chengdu High-Speed Railway, now under construction between these two cities (work started in 2010-2012), is expected to take over much of the passenger traffic on this route.

Rail junctions

Sichuan Province

• Chengdu: Chengdu–Kunming Railway, Dazhou–Chengdu Railway, Chengdu–Chongqing Railway
• Yangpingguan: Yangpingguan–Ankang Railway

Shaanxi Province

• Baoji: Longhai Railway

See also

• List of railways in China