Xi'an–Ankang railway



The Xi'an–Ankang railway or Xikang railway, is a single-track, electrified railway line in Shaanxi Province of China, between Xi'an, the provincial capital, and Ankang. The line is 247.7 km long and was built from 1995 to 2001. As of June 2009, a second track is being planned for the line. Major cities and counties along route include Xi'an, Zhashui County, Zhen'an County, Xunyang County and Ankang.

History
Construction on the line began on 18 December 1996. The railway opened on 8 January 2001. The second track was completed and put into operation on 31 October 2013.

On 5 November 2018, a new double-track 35.5 km long line from Dalingpu to Ankang was opened. This line bypasses Xunyang North railway station, shortening the distance between Xi'an and Ankang by 27 km and increasing capacity. The line has a design speed of 160 km/h.

In December 2020, new direct services were introduced between Xunyang railway station and Xi'an railway station. Previously this journey required a change at Xunyang North. These services are operated by China Railway CR200J units.

Line description
The Xikang railway traverses the Qin Mountains, one of the geographic barriers that separate North and South China. Xi'an, the provincial capital is located in the Wei River Valley and Ankang in southern Shaanxi is located in the Han River (Yangtze River tributary) Valley. The Xikang line connects two of China's major east-west rail corridors, the Longhai railway and the Xiangyang–Chongqing railway and shortened travel distance between the two cities by 542 km and travel time by 14 hours. Due to the rugged terrain of southern Shaanxi, the line has 41.2 km of bridges and 139.6 km of tunnels including the Qinling Tunnel, which is 18.5 km long and 1.6 km underneath the mountain at its deepest point. The line was funded by low-interest development assistance loans from Japan.

The planned Xi'an–Ankang high-speed railway will connect Xi'an and Ankang in the future on a faster alignment with a maximum speed of 350 km/h.

Rail connections

 * Xi'an: Longhai railway, Xi'an–Yan'an railway, Houma–Xi'an railway, Nanjing–Xi'an railway
 * Ankang: Xiangyang–Chongqing railway, Yangpingguan–Ankang railway