Beijing-Zhangjiakou inter-city railway expected to extend to Hohhot

The ground-breaking ceremony of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou inter-city railway which was originally scheduled to take place on August 11 will be postponed. Presently, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is examining the project plan. According to a relevant official involved with the preparation work, the construction of the rail line will soon begin and it will extend to Hohhot.

China Railway Engineering Consultants Group, designer of the project, claimed that the original plan may be adjusted and filed for approval again, and that the date for the ground-breaking ceremony has not yet been decided.

Funding

The Ministry of Railways, Beijing Municipal Government and Hebei Provincial Government will co-fund the project

The Ministry of Railways, Beijing Municipal Government and Hebei Provincial Government will co-fund the Beijing-Zhangjiakou inter-city railway project. According to the project plan which has been submitted to the NDRC, the railway will link the Zhangjiakou-Jining Railway and the Jining-Baotou Railway in the west, and connect with Beijing to the east, serving as an important part of the inter-city railway network between Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province.

The project plan shows that Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province form one of China’s core areas with densest cities and towns as well as a very strong regional economy. The GDP per capita for this area comprising Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei is 1.5 times higher than the average for the whole country. The railway will drastically reduce the running time of inter-city trains and can be connected to the planned Zhangjiakou-Datong rail passenger line. Meanwhile, the Beijing-Zhangjiakou inter-city railway will serve as a part of the planned Beijing-Hohhot rail passenger line.

Planning

A straight line for EMU trains

In order to guarantee the safety of high-speed trains, the new line (the Beijing-Zhangjiakou inter-city railway) will be different from the existing Beijing-Zhangjiakou railway. A draft plan completed by the designer shows that the new line is straighter than the old one.

According to an official in charge of the preparations, the new line is about 174 kilometers long, shorter than the old line, which was 201 kilometers long. The new line will mainly stretch through plains and low mountainous areas. There will be many newly-built tunnels, including the Badaling Tunnel, which will cover 15 kilometers.

In addition, the new line is specially designed for EMU trains. With a total investment of 23 billion yuan, the construction of the new line will start in 2009 and come to an end in 2013.