Hainan eastern ring high-speed railway

The Hainan eastern ring high-speed railway is a high-speed railway on Hainan Island. It is part of China Railway High-speed. Opened in December 2010, the railway links the capital Haikou at the northern end of the province to the resort city of Sanya in the southernmost region of the island.

Hainan eastern ring high-speed railway 海南东环高速铁路 (海南东环铁路, 海南东环高铁)
Train arriving at Haikou East Station
Overview
Type	High-speed rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Eastern Hainan
Termini	Haikou Sanya
Stations	15
Services	1
Operation
Opened	December 30, 2010
Rolling stock	CRH1A-A, CRH6F-A (current) CRH1A, CRH380A (former)
Technical
Line length	308 km (191 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in)
Minimum radius	5,500 m
Operating speed	250 kilometres per hour (160 mph)
Route map km 0 Haikou 10 Changliu 15 Xiuying 20 Chengxi 24 Haikou East 38 Meilan 89 Wenchang 139 Qionghai 147 Bo'ao 152 Hele 193 Wanning 215 Shenzhou 242 Lingshui 296 Yalong Bay 308 Sanya

Hainan eastern ring high-speed railway
Simplified Chinese	海南东环铁路
Traditional Chinese	海南東環鐵路
Literal meaning	Hainan eastern ring railway
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hǎinán dōnghuán tiělù

History

The idea for the railway was first proposed in February 1958 by then Vice-Premier and Director of the National Planning Commission, Li Fuchun, during an inspection tour of Hainan. The original proposal was for a railway that would go completely around the island. It would incorporate several railway sections that had recently been, or were about to be, reconstructed in the southwestern part of the island (see Hainan Western Ring Railway).

In February 1960, Premier Zhou Enlai visited Hainan and created a construction blueprint. In May 1963, Li Fuchun returned to inspect Hainan. His intention was for a ten-year plan to complete the railway. This was interrupted by the Cultural Revolution, and the plan was suspended.

In the summer of 1980, the State Council made the decision to speed up development and construction on Hainan Island.

The Guangdong–Hainan Train Ferry (part of the Guangdong–Hainan Railway) was completed in December 2004, and the Hainan Western Ring Railway along the western coast of the island from Haikou to Sanya was completed in 2005.

Preparation for the construction project in the eastern half of the island officially started in March 2006, with the National Development and Reform Commission officially approving the feasibility report on March 22, 2007.[1] Construction began on September 29, 2007,[1] and the railway went into service on December 30, 2010.[2]

With a projected cost of over 22.22 billion RMB (approximately US$3.3 billion) shared between China's Ministry of Railways and the Hainan provincial government, this was Hainan's largest single investment project to date and employed a workforce of 50,000.[1] Items of expenditure included 17.7 billion RMB on fixed assets and 1.5 billion RMB on trains.[3]

The official opening and start of operations of the eastern ring railway took place on December 30, 2010 with a trial run.[4][1] At the opening ceremony, Luo Baoming, governor of Hainan, stated that the railway will promote urbanization and greatly improve the island's transportation capacity.[5]

The line was put into revenue service on January 7, 2011. The intercity service of the line, which is from Haikou to Meilan, was started to service on July 1, 2019.[6]

Trains

From March 8, 2011, CRH380A trains served the route, although track limitations restrict their maximum speed to 250 km/h (160 mph).[7] The trains have since been transferred to Beijing Railway Bureau and are no longer in service.

Services are now provided by CRH1A type Harmony ("Hexie Hao" simplified Chinese: 和谐号; traditional Chinese: 和諧號; pinyin: Héxié Hào) EMU trains, with a total length of 213.5 metres (700 feet) and a total weight of 420.4 long tons (427.1 tonnes), and a top speed of approximately 250 km/h (160 mph).[8]

Each train comprises eight cars, including five power cars, and three trailers. Passenger cars comprise two first-class and five second-class cars, and one dining car. The first-class cars are model Dingyuan 64, and the second-class cars are Dingyuan 92.[9] The dining car provides fast food and drinks.[9] Washrooms are designed to accommodate disabled people.[9]

On November 18, 2016, new CRH1A-A EMUs entered into service, replacing the CRH1A units.[10]

Operation

Ticket

The railway runs from the Haikou Railway Station to Sanya Railway Station, although many trains terminate at Haikou East Railway Station. The total length of the route is 308.11 km (191.45 mi), and will contain 10 pairs of trains traveling per day.[11]

The fare for a full journey between Haikou and Sanya is 173 RMB for a first-class seat, and 108 RMB for a second-class seat.[11][12] Tickets can be purchased up to ten days in advance and are available at station counters or from vending machines.[13]

Schedule

Initially, there were ten trains per day in each direction on the Hainan eastern ring high-speed railway.[14]

Since January 20, 2017, thirty-eight trains run in each direction on the Hainan eastern ring high-speed railway, of which twenty-nine are between Haikou or Haikou East and Sanya; five loop around the island from Sanya to Sanya, and four loop from Haikou East to Haikou East.[15] For intercity service, there are thirteen trains run in each direction, of which seven are between Haikou and Haikou East; and six from Haikou to Meilan.[6]

Ridership

In 2017, the entire Hainan ring high-speed railway (including the eastern and western halves) served 25.39 million passengers, a 3.62 million (16.6%) increase over 2016.[16]

Stations

A total of 20 stations are already built or will be phased in gradually:[17]

• Haikou (海口)
• Changliu (长流)
• Xiuying (秀英)
• Chengxi (城西)
• Haikou East (海口东)
• Meilan (美兰)
• Dongzhai Bay (东寨湾) ♦
• Wenchang (文昌)
• Fengjia Bay (冯家湾) ♦
• Qionghai (琼海)
• Bo'ao (博鳌)
• Hele (和乐)
• Shangen (山根) ♦
• Wanning (万宁)
• Shenzhou (神州)
• Sun and Moon Bay (日月湾) ♦
• Lingshui (陵水)
• Gaofeng (高峰) ♦
• Haitang Bay (海棠湾) ♦
• Yalong Bay (亚龙湾)
• Sanya (三亚)

Note: ♦ denotes Under construction or planned

Hainan Western High-Speed Ring Railway

Main article: Hainan western ring high-speed railway

On December 30, 2010, an announcement was made that another high-speed railway would be built on the west coast of Hainan. The 345 km (214 mi) Hainan western ring high-speed railway, largely paralleling the existing Hainan Western Ring Railway, joins to the Hainan eastern ring railway at both ends. The new western ring was projected to cost 26.78 billion yuan[5][18] and opened on December 30, 2015.

See also

• List of railways in China
• Transportation in China
• China Railway High-speed

References

1. 海南邁入高鐵時代 東環鐵路今正式開通運營(圖) [Hainan steps into a new ers with the official opening of the eastern ring railway] (in Chinese). Big5.ce.cn. December 30, 2010. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
2. "WORLD'S LARGEST HS NETWORK". Railways Africa. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
3. 海口轻轨建设带动沿线腾飞 [Haikou's new railway drives trackside development] (in Chinese). Sohu.com. June 15, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
4. Xinhua (December 31, 2010). "First high-speed railway opens in China's southernmost island". Global Times. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
5. First high-speed railway opens in China's southernmost island – GlobalTimes Archived 2011-01-03 at the Wayback Machine. Life.globaltimes.cn (2010-12-31). Retrieved on 2011-01-07.
6. "海口市郊列车将于7月1日正式开通运营". China News Service. 2019-06-30.
7. 海南东环高铁开行CRH380A型动车组.
8. 海南島高鐵將開通運營 [Hainan Island's High speed railway to begin operations] (in Chinese). 15 December 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
9. "Archived copy" 探秘海南东环铁路：首列动车组即将试运行_中国高铁 – 人民铁道网. 2010-12-14. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2011-01-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
10. 探秘海南环岛高铁新型动车组 细节设计更显人性化. 2016-11-18.
11. 海南東環鐵售票 一等車票114元 [First class ticket on Hainan's eastern ring railway to cost 114 RMB] (in Chinese). News.wenweipo.com. December 28, 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
12. 中国铁路客户服务中心.
13. "Archived copy" 东环铁“和谐号”30日正式“起飞”_新闻中心_海南在线. Archived from the original on 2011-01-03. Retrieved 2011-01-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
14. 东环高铁动车组票价时刻表公布 [Public announcement of ticket prices and timetable for the eastern ring railway] (in Chinese). Hainan Provincial People's Government. 29 December 2010. Archived from the original on 27 February 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
15. 海南环岛高铁1月20日实行新运行图 安排D字头列车46对.
16. 海南环岛高铁年发送旅客突破2500万 [Hainan ring railway's annual passenger count exceeded 25 million]. 2018-01-10.
17. 海南吉林迈入"高铁时代" [Hainan Steps into anEra of High Speed Railways] (in Chinese). People's Daily Online. December 31, 2010. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
18. 海南吉林迈入高铁时代 高铁激活国际旅游岛 [Hainan International Tourism Island Steps in to the Age of High-speed rail] (in Chinese). January 4, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2011.

External links

• (in Chinese) Ministry of Railways
• (in English) Chinese Railways
• China Academy of Railway Sciences
• Fare table
• Hotline and other local station telephone numbers
• Route map