| Xinyi–Changxing railway | |
|---|---|
 Xinchang railway inYixing | |
| Overview | |
| Other names | Xinchang railway 新长铁路 |
| Status | Operating |
| Owner | Xinchang Railway Company |
| Locale | Jiangsu andZhejiang provinces |
| Termini | |
| Stations | 37 |
| Service | |
| Operator(s) | China Railway Shanghai Group |
| History | |
| Opened |
|
| Technical | |
| Line length | 561 kilometres (349 mi) |
| Number of tracks | 1 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Minimum radius |
|
TheXinyi–Changxing railway orXinchang railway (simplified Chinese:新长铁路;traditional Chinese:新長鐵路;pinyin:Xīn–Cháng tiělù), also known as theXinchang line (simplified Chinese:新长线;traditional Chinese:新長線;pinyin:Xīncháng xiàn), is a single-trackrailway line in eastern China between the cities ofXinyi inJiangsu Province andChangxing County inZhejiang Province. It runs north-south through the entire length ofJiangsu Province and the northern tip of Zhejiang. Major cities along route includeHuai'an,Yancheng,Hai'an,Jingjiang,Jiangyin andYixing. Including a 62.5 km (38.8 mi) spur fromHai'an toNantong, the Xinchang railway is 638 km (396 mi) in total length. It used atrain ferry to cross theYangtze River, but this closed in 2019. Passenger services south of Hai'an have also been abandoned.
The Xinchang railway was the first railway to be built in Jiangsu Province north of theYangtze River. Construction began in September 1998 and the entire line was completed in April 2005. Passenger and freight service commenced on July 1, 2005.[1][2] A connection toNantong (a section of theNanjing–Qidong railway) was added in 2008.[3] The train ferry closed on 16 December 2019.[4] Passenger services south of Hai'an have also been abandoned.
The Xinchang railway connects with theLonghai andJiaozhou–Xinyi railways in the north and with theNanjing–Nantong,Beijing–Shanghai,Xuancheng–Hangzhou railways in the south.
Until 2019, the Xinchang line was the only major inland rail line in China to use a riverferry. As the railway has no bridge or tunnel crossing at theYangtze River, trains had to be ferried across the river fromJingjiang on the northern side of the river (terminal at31°58′33″N120°18′27″E / 31.97583°N 120.30750°E /31.97583; 120.30750) toJiangyin on the southern side (terminal at31°57′16″N120°19′25″E / 31.95444°N 120.32361°E /31.95444; 120.32361). At its peak, a pair of ferries made 48 trips per day across the river.[5]
