Ningbo–Taizhou–Wenzhou railway

Hangzhou–Fuzhou–Shenzhen high-speed railway Ningbo–Taizhou–Wenzhou Section
Yongtaiwen Railway Bridge over the Fenghua River
Overview
Native name	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz AC (Overhead line)
Route map Legend km Hangyong PDL to Hangzhou │ Xiaoshan–Ningbo railway 0 Ningbo 5 Ningbo East Beilun railway 12 Yunlong 37 Fenghua 72 Ninghai 106 Sanmen County 124 Linhai 152 Taizhou West 152 Taizhou South 176 Wenling East China Sea 200 Yandangshan 222 Yueqing East 240 Yueqing 257 Wenzhou North Ou River Jinhua–Wenzhou railway Wenzhou 275 Wenzhou South Wenfu railway to Shenzhen This diagram: view talk edit

The Ningbo–Taizhou–Wenzhou railway or Yong-Tai-Wen railway (simplified Chinese: 甬台温铁路; traditional Chinese: 甬台溫鐵路; pinyin: Yǒng Tāi Wēn Tiělù) is a dual-track, electrified, high-speed rail line in Zhejiang Province, China. It is named after the three prefecture-level cities along route: Ningbo, whose abbreviated Chinese name is Yong, Taizhou and Wenzhou. The line has a total length of 282.4 kilometres (175.5 mi) and forms part of Hangzhou–Fuzhou–Shenzhen railway.^[1] Construction began in October 2005, and the line opened to commercial service on September 28, 2009. Trains running on the line reach top speeds of 250 kilometres per hour, and the shortest trip between Ningbo and Wenzhou takes 1 hour 12 minutes.^[1]

Route

The Ningbo–Taizhou–Wenzhou railway follows the rugged but prosperous coast of Zhejiang. Major cities and counties along route include Fenghua, Ninghai, Sanmen, Linhai, Taizhou, Huangyan, Luqiao, Wenling, Yueqing, Yongjia, and Ouhai.^[1] At Ningbo, the line joins the Xiaoshan–Ningbo railway and the Hangzhou–Ningbo passenger-dedicated line. At Wenzhou, the line joins the Wenzhou–Fuzhou railway.

History

The Ningbo–Taizhou–Wenzhou railway is the first railway to be built on the east coast of Zhejiang. Most high-speed rail lines in China follow the routes of older conventional railroads, but there were no railways on the southeast coast prior to the building of high-speed rail. Historically, the southeast coastal region relied on maritime transportation, and rugged terrain made railway construction more expensive. In the first half of the 20th century, warfare and political instability delayed railway construction. During the Cold War, the southeast coast faced the threat of invasion from Republic of China on Taiwan and all railways were built inland. Only when political tensions across the Taiwan Strait eased in the late 1990s did planning of the Yongtaiwen Line proceed. Construction began commenced in 2005 and track-laying was completed on May 15, 2009.^[1] Commercial service began on September 28, 2009.

Accident

On 23 July 2011, CRH train D3115, running from Hangzhou to Fuzhou South came to a halt over a viaduct near Wenzhou South after losing its power. Shortly afterwards, CRH train D301, running from Beijing South to Fuzhou, rear-ended the stationary D3115. The accident led to 40 deaths and 200+ injured, raising concerns about the safety of the fast-expanding high-speed railway network of China.^[2]

Rail connections

• Ningbo: Xiaoshan–Ningbo railway
• Wenzhou: Wenzhou–Fuzhou railway, Jinhua–Wenzhou railway

See also

• List of railways in China

References

28°00′48″N 120°35′24″E / 28.01333°N 120.59000°E / 28.01333; 120.59000