Beijing–Shanghai railway

The Beijing–Shanghai railway or Jinghu railway (simplified Chinese: 京沪铁路; traditional Chinese: 京滬鐵路; pinyin: Jīnghù tiělù) is an important railway line connecting two big cities, Beijing and Shanghai. This railway is a bit slower than the newer high-speed line, but it still helps many people travel between these two places.

The line is very long, stretching for 1,462 kilometers or 908 miles. It goes through several areas, including the cities of Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai, and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Anhui, and Jiangsu. Because of this, it is often called the Jinghu railway, using short names from the two main cities it connects. In Chinese, Jing means “capital” and refers to Beijing, while Hu is the short name for Shanghai. This railway has been very important for travel and trade in China for many years.

History

The Beijing–Shanghai railway is made up of three parts, some of the first railways built in China long ago. The first part goes from Beijing to Tianjin, built between 1897 and 1900.

The second part runs from Tianjin to Pukou, near Nanjing. The third part connects Nanjing to Shanghai, finished between 1905 and 1908.

Before 1968, trains had to use ferries to cross the Yangtze River. After the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge was built, all three parts became one railway line. In 2007, a section of the track was updated with electric power.

Current status

The Beijing–Shanghai railway is the main line connecting Beijing and Shanghai, and together with the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway, it is one of the busiest rail routes in China. The line has two tracks all the way from Beijing to Shanghai and has been fully electrified. Passengers can now take overnight trains called CRH Sleepers, which are D-series trains.

Since June 30, 2011, the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway has been open and runs close to the older railway. This has helped reduce crowding on the older line, which now mostly carries freight. As of 2017, there are two regular trains each day that travel the entire distance from Beijing to Shanghai on the older line, while many trains still use parts of it.