China's planned rail links

[fenlan]

I think railway development in China is one of the most exciting things. Apparently the new 5 year plan will include a Kunming-Ruili link to the Burmese border, and a Xinjiang Kirgizstan connection. The govenrment has approved a magnetic levitation high speed link between Shanghai and Hangzhou, and a high speed link between Beijing and Tianjin is being bid for. There will be a high speed line to Beijing airport by 2008 and a large number of new underground stations. Hainan is thinking of an undersea railway to Guangdong. The Tibet government has said it wants to extend the Tibet railway being built now to India and Nepal. I wonder if there should be an undersea link between Shandong and Dalian? How can I suggest this to the State Council? If you hear of any new railway developments, please post info!

[Ian_Lee]

The first cross-desert railway that links Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang is also under construction:

http://english.china.com/zh_cn/news/china/11020307/20050508/12293714.html

And foreign tourists have solidly booked the inital train trips on the Golmud--Lhasa railroad that won't commence operation until August 2007. Charge for the tour: US$5,600 per head:

http://www.gwtravel.co.uk/tourpricedetails.cfm?fileentityid=271

[fenlan]

I was planning on being on the first train to Lhasa. I was expecting to pay a couple of hundred RMB

[wix]

I would love to see a rail link connecting China to Thailand via Burma/Myanmar or Laos. It don't expect it to happen anytime in the near future though.

On a more practical level a rail link from Thailand to China could more easily be constructed by connecting to rail lines in Vietnam either via Cambodia or laos.

[fenlan]

A Kunming-Singapore link is planned eventually, but no firm plans.

[chenpv]

here is a graph showing the long-term rail road construction in china.

中长期铁路建设图

[tongyang]

I think railway development in China is one of the most exciting things. Apparently the new 5 year plan will include a Kunming-Ruili link to the Burmese border, and a Xinjiang Kirgizstan connection. The govenrment has approved a magnetic levitation high speed link between Shanghai and Hangzhou, and a high speed link between Beijing and Tianjin is being bid for. There will be a high speed line to Beijing airport by 2008 and a large number of new underground stations. Hainan is thinking of an undersea railway to Guangdong. The Tibet government has said it wants to extend the Tibet railway being built now to India and Nepal. I wonder if there should be an undersea link between Shandong and Dalian? How can I suggest this to the State Council? If you hear of any new railway developments, please post info!

yes, dude, maybe you can travel the whole china by taking "Euro-star" from your home. .......

[Outofin]

Chinese engineers are making a new world record in the Qinghai-Tibet railway construction: the world's most elevated railway, surpassing Peru.

http://www.chinatoday.com.cn/English/e20035/p62.htm

[fenlan]

Chenpv, it is a good map you posted, but I don't understand the dotted line between Lhasa and Kashgar (Kashi). Is a railway eventually planned between Lhasa and Kashi? There is almost no population in some parts of Western Tibet, but maybe such a railway would serve a military purpose?

[phbriggs]

yes, dude, maybe you can travel the whole china by taking "Euro-star" from your home

You can with a couple of train changes.

[atitarev]

Western China becomes more open to Westerners and foreign airplanes will be allowed by the government to fly over it (including Taiwanese!) and land. The deals are done or about to be done.

I am glad there will a railway to Kyrghyzstan, not sure if there are railway connections to Kazakhstan. Kyrghyztan has direct links to Moscow (Moskva). It means you will be able to travel through all of China and go to Europe by train!

At the moment the best way to get to Moscow by train is via Ulan-Bator, Mongolia with Beijing-Moskva train.

[fenlan]

Yes, there is a train to Alma-Ata. But, as with all the Soviet-China connections, they need to change the bogies...

[chenpv]

Chenpv, it is a good map you posted, but I don't understand the dotted line between Lhasa and Kashgar (Kashi). Is a railway eventually planned between Lhasa and Kashi? There is almost no population in some parts of Western Tibet, but maybe such a railway would serve a military purpose?

Waa, i never thought of that. The dotted lines show the construction plans which havent been decided yet, maybe economic reasons, maybe environmental reasons. As for to build a railroad for stark military purpose and even show it on the graph, I dont think chinese government will do it. Anyway, once in war, i think all the railroads are essential strategic resources.

[DRAGON THRONE]

Hi, I am new to this forum.

I agree with fenlan that "railway development in China is one of the most exciting things." In fact, I think there is sore absence of a newspaper or TV channel or internet site focussing primarily on booming China's red-hot infrastructural development, be it in railway, expressway, airway; in airports, seaports, train stations; or in bridge and tunnel buildings.

Of course, the most awaited project at the moment is the QingZang Railway to Lasa, due for completion in October this year which is just a month away.

Can anyone enlighten me on the Chongqing to Shanghai track along the Changjiang. Has the project passed the appraisal stage? Has it been approved by Beijing? And when is it going to begin construction?

Thanx!

[kalio]

Hello

chenpv, your map is very interesting (http://www.rainbowplan.org/webjb/edu/messages/57751.shtml)

but what is the source? where does it come from?

thank you

kalio

[chenpv]

Oh, Kalio, I didnt know you have posted your question here, and I found this while revising my previous posts. But I think we had talked about this, right?

PS: FOR THOSE WHO ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN THE RAILWAYS IN CHINA, PLEASE CHECK THIS SITE. VERY INTERESTING AND INFORMATIVE.

http://www.railwaysofchina.com/