Hainan western ring high-speed railway

Summary

The Hainan western ring high-speed railway (Chinese: 海南西环高速铁路; pinyin: Hǎinán xī huán gāosù tiělù, often abbreviated [海南]西环高铁; [Hǎinán] Xī huán gāotiě[1]) is a high-speed railway operated by China Railway Guangzhou Group in Hainan Province. It started operation on 30 December 2015.[2]

Hainan Western Ring HSR
Hainan Western Ring HSR tracks at the Dongfang railway station
Overview
Native name海南西环高速铁路
StatusOperational
OwnerChina Railway CR Guangzhou
LocaleWestern Hainan
Termini
Stations15
Service
TypeHigh-speed railway, Loop line
SystemChina Railway High-speed China Railway High-speed
Services1
Operator(s)China Railway Hainan Railway Company Limited of China Railway Guangzhou Group
History
Opened30 December 2015 (2015-12-30)
Technical
Line length344 km (214 mi)
Number of tracks2
CharacterElevated
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz AC (Overhead line)
Operating speed200 km/h (120 mph)
Route map

Legend
Haikou
0 km
Right arrow 
Guangdong–Hainan Railway
to Zhanjiang West
Laochengzhen
Fushanzhen
Lingao South
Yintan
Baimajing
Qiziwan
Dongfang
Jinyuewan
Jianfeng
Huangliu
Ledong
Yazhou
Phoenix Airport
Sanya
344 km

The 344 km (214 mi) long rail line runs along the western half of the island's coastline, from Haikou railway station in the north to Sanya railway station. At its two end points, it connects with the existing Hainan eastern ring high-speed railway (opened in 2010), thus forming a high-speed railway ring spanning 653 km long, around the entire island, as well as the world's first and only circular high-speed railway line.[3][4] The circular closed loop allows passengers to travel along the entire circumference of the island in approximately 3 hours at the shortest time, and connects all twelve coastal cities and counties, as well as having additional stops at Haikou and Sanya airports.[5]

Unlike the Hainan eastern ring high-speed railway, which runs along the coast previously not served by railway (other than at its end points, Haikou and Sanya), the Western Ring high-speed railway roughly parallels the conventional-speed Hainan Western Ring Railway, which has connected Haikou and Sanya since 2005.

History edit

The Hainan western ring railway was constructed in two stages.

The first short section connects the existing Sanya railway station with the new Phoenix Airport railway station, 10 km (6.2 mi) to the west. The section has one intermediate station, Sanya West railway station (三亚西站). The construction work on this section (凤三段) was planned to be completed by the end of 2014.[6]

On the rest of the railway - the much longer section from Sanya Phoenix Airport to Haikou - progress was only in its preliminary phase in 2012. Property was acquired, and demolition was conducted. According to the construction plans, 22,300 mu (14.8 km2 or 5.7 sq mi) of land will be permanently used by the railway and associated facilities, and another 8,800 mu (5.9 km2 or 2.3 sq mi) was temporary used during construction. Eighty-seven thousand m2 of housing was demolished. The necessary demolitions were completed by the end of 2013.[7]

In November 2015, the first test train travelled on the 344 km Western ring high-speed railway, and completed the 652 km circular railway loop around the island. The western ring high-speed railway became officially operational and open to the public in December 2015.[8]

Stations edit

As of 2018, many of the stations were not in use. The list below names the settlements where the stations are located. They will be named correspondingly.

Rolling stock edit

  • CRH1A-A 8-car sets (since 30 December 2015)
  • CR300-AF 8-car sets (since 1 February 2021)[9]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ See e.g., archive of news items on this railway on gaotie.cn
  2. ^ 海南西环高铁总投资约271亿元.预计2015年年底通车 [Hainan Western Ring total cost 27.1 billion yuan. Trains expected to start running by the end of 2015.]. 7 April 2015.
  3. ^ "This Chinese High Speed Train Conquers Extreme Weather". NDTV.com. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  4. ^ "China's most epic high-speed rail journeys". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Island highway loop set to boost tourism in China's Hainan". m.phnompenhpost.com. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  6. ^ 西环高铁凤三段计划2014年建成] [The Sanya to Fenghuang Airport section of the western ring high-speed railway was planned to be completed in 2014]. 13 December 2012.
  7. ^ 西环高铁2013年底完成拆迁 拆迁房屋8.7万平米 [Demolition work for the western ring high-speed railway was completed by the end of 2014. Eighty-seven thousand square meters of housing was demolished.] (in Simplified Chinese). 13 December 2012.
  8. ^ Barrow, Keith (27 November 2015). "Hainan Island high-speed line goes full circle". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  9. ^ "Blue high-speed trains match south China's Hainan island's sky and sea". South China Morning Post. 2 February 2021.

External links edit