Beijing-Tianjin High-Speed Commuter Link, China

China's railway system has been going through a massive phase of upgrading and expansion under the Chinese Ministry of Railway’s 2006–10 plan. It has prompted the construction of added rapid transit links in the capital, but in addition high speed lines are now under construction and development, including the Beijing-Tianjin corridor, as part of a massive project to build 17,000km (10,500 miles) of new railway.

The link between Beijing and Tianjin will establish a fast corridor between the two major centres, which currently suffer from major road congestion and a slow railway service. The new railway, 115km (72 miles) long, will cut journey times to just 30 minutes, although at the same time the main express road is also being improved.

China's expansion into high speed rail travel is just beginning. One of the early uses of high speed rail travel is the Shanghai airport link, which uses maglev (magnetic levitation) to propel trains along a specially designed track at high velocity.

THE PROJECT

The Beijing-Tianjin corridor uses conventional railway technology, but is the fastest railway of its kind in the country. When services start in 2009 (it was hoped to open to coincide with the staging of the Olympic Games in 2008), trains will be permitted to run at 300km/h, but the maximum line speed is planned to be raised to 350km/h. A train every three minutes is to be a feature of the new line, with 180 trains per day between the two cities to encourage high-speed commuter travel.

Construction began in July 2005, with a 2007 completion date in mind. Initially, three stations are being built with services starting from an improved and upgraded Beijing Nan railway station. There are intermediate stations at Yizhuang and Wuging, with a third planned for Yongle. At Tianjin, the line will use the existing station in the town, which is also used by trains on the Beijing-Harbin and Beijing-Shanghai lines. There will be additional platforms for the high speed trains.

The new line is being used as the model for future high speed rail developments in China. French engineering company Systra is providing project management services with the China Academy of Railway Sciences to deliver the ¥14.3bn ($1.73bn) project.

To assist with funding, the Chinese Ministry of Railways launched a ¥16m railway bond issue in October 2006. This funding is to be invested throughout the 2006–10 network expansion plan, and the Beijing-Tianjin route is also to benefit from it.

INFRASTRUCTURE

The tight timescale for the project has resulted in novel construction features. The new line will run on a viaduct for 100km, with just 15km on traditional embankment. This is due to the flat nature of the land surrounding the route. The viaduct is on pre-cast concrete sections for speed, and even the track is based around concrete in a technology transfer agreement with German engineering company Max Bogel. The whole line is laid with 60kg/m rail.

In order to accommodate intensive service of the new high-speed line, Beijing Nan station is being redeveloped with five additional platforms specifically for the Beijing-Tianjin line. At Beijing Nan a direct connection will be made with Metro Line 4.

For passengers arriving at Beijing Capital International Airport, a connection will be made with the express metro, currently under construction, at Yizhuang station. A branch from the high speed line may provide a direct connection with Beijing city centre. Three sub-stations will provide the overhead centenary with 25kV AC.

ROLLING STOCK

Siemens Transportation Systems is carrying out the contract for new high speed trains. They are based on the ICE 3 trains, which are in service with DB (German Railways) and in Spain with RENFE.

Construction of the first three trains began at Siemens plant in Germany in October, and from December 2006 production of the remaining 57 sets will take place in China at the Tangshan Locomotive and Rolling Stock Works. The contract is worth €1.3bn. Each will be capable of 300km/h and each set will be 200m long with seating for up to 600 passengers in eight cars.

The new trains will have 3,625mm wide bodies – wider than the ICE 3 trains – allowing 3+2 seating to be installed in standard class cars and 2+2 seating in first class. The Velaro CHR3 trains will have a distributed traction package with half of the axles powered and a maximum output of 8.8MW.

To cope with the extreme temperatures of China, the CHR3 trains are being designed to operate in temperatures ranging from -25°C to +40°C. The first new train is due to be delivered in March 2008 for testing and driver training before the planned 2009 opening date.

SIGNALLING AND COMMUNICATIONS

A control centre will be built to oversee operations. The Ministry of Railways is planning to install a system-wide Chinese Train Control System, which will be designed to be compatible with future developments elsewhere in the country.

THE FUTURE

An impressive 180 services per day are planned on the Beijing-Tianjin line, but development does not stop when it opens. Studies have been undertaken ahead of opening to determine how much traffic growth can be expected from the route.

Expansion may see a 40km extension from Tianjin to Tanggu, as well a branch line to transport passengers to and from Beijing Capital International Airport.