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 long and was built from 1996 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 long line from Dalingpu to Ankang was opened. This line bypasses Xunyang North railway station, shortening the distance between Xi'an and Ankang by and increasing capacity. The line has a design speed of.
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 and travel time by 14 hours. Due to the rugged terrain of southern Shaanxi, the line has of bridges and of tunnels including the Qinling Tunnel, which is long and 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.