Beijing–Kowloon railway


The Beijing–Jiujiang–Kowloon railway, also known as the Jingjiu railway is a railway connecting Beijing West Station in Beijing to Shenzhen Station in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. It is connected with Hong Kong's East Rail across the border which terminates at Hung Hom Station in Kowloon.

History

It is a dual-track railway. Construction began in February 1993. It was opened in 1996, connecting Beijing and Shenzhen through Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Hubei, Jiangxi and Guangdong, with a length of 2,397 kilometres. It has 790 bridges and 160 tunnels. The Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge, at a length of 7,679 metres, is the longest across the Yangtze River. Located between Jinghu railway and Jingguang railway, it was built to alleviate the congested Jingguang railway, and to foster development in the areas to the east of Jingguang railway.
The idea had been proposed for a long time, and some of the sections, such as the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge, were built before construction of the whole line officially began. Some were converted from existing sections, such as between Jiujiang and Nanchang, and Fuyang and Shangqiu.
It multiplexes with the Guangmeishan railway between Longchuan and Dongguan. It joins the Guangshen railway at Dongguan, and follows the same route. Within Hong Kong, it shares the same pair of tracks with the East Rail Line.
Beijing–Kowloon through train services are currently provided on the Jingguang railway and Guangshen railway, instead of the Jingjiu railway, because Beijing-Kowloon Line emphasizes freight traffic and pass through less major cities. Passengers are required to go through customs and immigration checks for the cross-border service.

Places served