CHINA: Two new lines opened at the end of November, extending the main line network by a further 345 km.
Railways reached Shangri-La in the mountainous southwest on November 26 when an extension of the conventional network opened from Lijiang.
Named after the fictional Himalayan utopia mentioned in a 1933 British novel, Shangri-La sits at an altitude of 3 274 m, while Lijiang lies 2 400 m above sea level.
The rail link forms part of a high-altitude corridor that will ultimately connect Kunming, provincial capital of Yunnan, with Lhasa in Xizang (Tibet).
CRRC has supplied China Railway with a fleet of Fuxing CR200J trainsets to operate on the route; these are a bespoke design intended to handle operating at altitude. Among the modifications required to cope with steep gradients and thinner air is a six-axle wheel arrangement for the power cars, and a higher continuous power rating of 7·2 MW compared to the 5·6 MW rating of similar inter-city trains used elsewhere.
The 139 km long single-track line is designed for operation at up to 140 km/h, giving a journey time of 1 h 18 min between the two cities. The line has 20 tunnels and 34 bridges and viaducts, totalling 102·5 km.
Sichuan link
Two days later on November 28, a main line opened in northwestern Sichuan between Qingbaijiangdong north of Chengdu and Zhenjiangguan. This 206 km route is designed for 200 km/h operation, giving an end-to-end journey time of 1 h 26 min.
There are 10 stations, including Zhenjiang which is located in a mountain pass 2 503 m above sea level. The average gradient along the line is 1·5%; the route avoids the region’s extensive panda conservation areas, according to local reports.
Construction started in 2011. The main challenge during the works was to avoid the area affected by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. A further 140 km extension beyond Zhenjiangguan is due to open next year, which will see the railway reach Jiuzhaigou via the 23 km Desheng tunnel. The route will eventually form a corridor linking Sichuan’s capital Chengdu with Xining in Qinghai province.
