Lanxin railway
Encyclopedia
Lanzhou (km)
Lanzhou
Lanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. A prefecture-level city, it is a key regional transportation hub, allowing areas further west to maintain railroad connections to the eastern half of the country....
Wuwei
Wuwei is located in northwest central Gansu province. In the north it borders Inner Mongolia, in the southwest, Qinghai. Its central location between three western capitals, Lanzhou, Xining, and Yinchuan makes it an important business and transportation hub for the area...
Jinchang
Jinchang is a prefecture-level city in China's Gansu province.-Geography and climate:Jinchang City is located in central Gansu province, west of the Yellow River, north of the Qilian Mountains, and south of the Alashan Plateau. The southwest of the city borders Qinghai Province and the northwest...
Zhangye
-Administration:Zhangye has 1 urban district, 4 counties, 1 autonomous county, 97 towns, and 977 villages.-Demographics:Zhangye has a total population of 1,260,000, only 260,000 being urban residents...
Jiuquan
- Suzhou town :The administrative center of the "prefecture-level city" of Jiuquan is the "District" of Suzhou , which occupies 3,386 square km in the eastern part of Jiuquan "prefecture-level city", and had a population of 340,000 as of 2002....
Hongliuyuan
Hongliuyuan , also known as Liuyuan Town （柳园镇）, is a District of Guazhou in Gansu province of China....
山口 (新疆)
Hami
-Places:*Hami City, in Hami Prefecture*Hami Prefecture, in Xinjiang, China*Hami Desert, desert in Xinjiang*Hami, Kagoshima, Japan*Hami, Yemen...
Ürümqi
Ürümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
The Lanzhou−Xinjiang Railway or Lanxin Railway is the longest railway in northwestern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It runs 1904 kilometres (1,183.1 mi) from Lanzhou
Lanzhou
Lanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. A prefecture-level city, it is a key regional transportation hub, allowing areas further west to maintain railroad connections to the eastern half of the country....
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
, through the Hexi Corridor
Hexi Corridor
Hexi Corridor or Gansu Corridor refers to the historical route in Gansu province of China. As part of the Northern Silk Road running northwest from the bank of the Yellow River, it was the most important route from North China to the Tarim Basin and Central Asia for traders and the military. The...
, to Ürümqi
Ürümqi
Ürümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
, in the Xinjiang. It is Xinjiang's only rail link with the rest of China. The railway follows the path of the ancient Silk Road
Silk Road
The Silk Road or Silk Route refers to a historical network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa...
and now forms part of the Second Eurasian Continental Bridge
New Eurasian Land Bridge
The New Eurasian Land Bridge, also called the Second or New Eurasian Continental Bridge, is a term used to describe the branch of the Eurasian Land Bridge running through the People's Republic of China. The Eurasian Land Bridge is the overland rail link between East Asia and Europe...
which extends from eastern China to Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Route
The Lanxin Railway's eastern terminus is Lanzhou's West railway station. Lanzhou is a railway junction city in eastern Gansu Province, where the Lanzhou–Qinghai, Baotou–Lanzhou, and Longhai Railways converge. From Lanzhou, the line heads west, across the Yellow RiverYellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
, into the Hexi Corridor
Hexi Corridor
Hexi Corridor or Gansu Corridor refers to the historical route in Gansu province of China. As part of the Northern Silk Road running northwest from the bank of the Yellow River, it was the most important route from North China to the Tarim Basin and Central Asia for traders and the military. The...
, where it passes through Gansu cities Wuwei
Wuwei
Wuwei is located in northwest central Gansu province. In the north it borders Inner Mongolia, in the southwest, Qinghai. Its central location between three western capitals, Lanzhou, Xining, and Yinchuan makes it an important business and transportation hub for the area...
, Jinchang
Jinchang
Jinchang is a prefecture-level city in China's Gansu province.-Geography and climate:Jinchang City is located in central Gansu province, west of the Yellow River, north of the Qilian Mountains, and south of the Alashan Plateau. The southwest of the city borders Qinghai Province and the northwest...
, Zhangye
Zhangye
-Administration:Zhangye has 1 urban district, 4 counties, 1 autonomous county, 97 towns, and 977 villages.-Demographics:Zhangye has a total population of 1,260,000, only 260,000 being urban residents...
, Jiuquan
Jiuquan
- Suzhou town :The administrative center of the "prefecture-level city" of Jiuquan is the "District" of Suzhou , which occupies 3,386 square km in the eastern part of Jiuquan "prefecture-level city", and had a population of 340,000 as of 2002....
, and Jiayuguan, enroute to Xinjiang. Once in Xinjiang, the railway passes through Hami
Hami
-Places:*Hami City, in Hami Prefecture*Hami Prefecture, in Xinjiang, China*Hami Desert, desert in Xinjiang*Hami, Kagoshima, Japan*Hami, Yemen...
, Shanshan
Shanshan
Shanshan is the Chinese name for a kingdom that existed roughly from 200 BCE-1000 CE at the north-eastern end of the Taklamakan Desert including the great, but now mostly dry, salt lake known as Lop Nur....
, Turpan, and Dabancheng, before reaching Ürümqi in central Xinjiang.
The Lanxin Railway is sometimes categorized to include the Northern Xinjiang Railway
Northern Xinjiang Railway
The Northern Xinjiang Railway or Beijiang Railway is a railway in Xinjiang, China between Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang and Alashankou on the border with Kazakhstan...
, which continues west from Ürümqi to Alashankou
Alashankou
Alashankou or Alataw Pass is a border town in Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. It is a port of entry by both railroad and highway from Kazakhstan as part of the Eurasian Land Bridge. The town is named after the Dzungarian Gate , a pass connecting...
, on the Kazahkstan border. The distance from Alashankou to Lanzhou is 2360 km. Beyond Alashankou, the railway links up with the Turkestan-Siberia Railway
Turkestan-Siberia Railway
The Turkestan–Siberian Railway is a broad gauge railway that connects Central Asia with Siberia. It starts north of Tashkent in Uzbekistan at Arys, where it branches off from the Trans-Caspian Railway. It heads roughly northeast through Shymkent, Taraz, Bishkek to the former Kazakh capital of...
of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, and eventually reachesRotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
.
History
The Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway, often abbreviated as the Lanxin Line, is the longest railway built by the People's Republic of China. It was built by the China Railway Engineering CorporationChina Railway Engineering Corporation
The China Railway Engineering Corporation , or simply CREC, is a large-scale state-owned enterprise in the People's Republic of China....
. Construction of the initial stage (to Urumqi) started in 1952, completed in 1962, and opened in 1966. The extension to the Kazakhstan border was built in the late 1980s, linkup with the Kazakhstan Railroads
Qazaqstan Temir Zholy
Kazakhstan Temir Zholy , also National Company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, is the national railway company of Kazakhstan.-Organization:...
achieved on September 12, 1990. After the completion of the 20 km Wushaoling Tunnel
Wushaoling Tunnel
The Wushaoling Tunnel is a 21.05 km dual-bore railway tunnel in Gansu, north-west China. The east-bound bore opened on 30 March 2006. The west-bound bore is expected to open in October 2006...
in 2006, the railway from Lanzhou
Lanzhou
Lanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. A prefecture-level city, it is a key regional transportation hub, allowing areas further west to maintain railroad connections to the eastern half of the country....
to Urumqi
Ürümqi
Ürümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
is all double-tracked.
The northern branch
The railway's northern branch is 477 kilometers extension from Urumqi to Alataw PassAlataw Pass
The term Alataw Pass can be* another name for the Dzungarian Gate, an historically and geographically notable pass through the Dzungarian Alatau mountains between Kazakhstan and China, or...
(its westernmost point), where China's Alashankou railway station
Alashankou railway station
Alashankou railway station , also known as Alataw Pass railway station is a railway station in Börtala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture of China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region....
is connected to Kazakhstan's Dostyk station.
The southern branch
The railway also has a southern branch, which splits off the main line near Turpan (east of Urumqi), and runs west to KashgarKashgar
Kashgar or Kashi is an oasis city with approximately 350,000 residents in the western part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Kashgar is the administrative centre of Kashgar Prefecture which has an area of 162,000 km² and a population of approximately...
at the westernmost tip of the country. It was completed in 1999.
Cargo
Xinjiang coal is one of the main types of freight shipped along the railway. In 2010, the railway is expected to ship 30 million tons of it, and by 2012, the amount is anticipated to rise to 50 million tons.Future
A new passenger rail line, mostly parallel to existing Lanxin railway has been in construction since November 4, 2009. The projected cost is 143.5 billion yuanRenminbi
The Renminbi is the official currency of the People's Republic of China . Renminbi is legal tender in mainland China, but not in Hong Kong or Macau. It is issued by the People's Bank of China, the monetary authority of the PRC...
. Once the new line is completed, the old one will be used mostly for freight.
There is also a planned railway
Geku railway
Geku railway is a planned railway connecting Golmud and Korla, in China. Construction work is set to begin in the second half of 2011. The railway is scheduled to open in the first half of 2016. The length of the line is 1182.487 kilometers. 501.497 kilometers is in Qinghai province and 680.99...
that connecting Golmud and Korla, to be an alternative railway corridor to Xinjiang.