China
16:47, 28-Dec-2018
High-capacity railway moves coal more efficiently from mines to ports
Updated
15:56, 31-Dec-2018
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December 28 marks the 30th anniversary of China's Datong-Qinhuangdao Railway, which carries more coal than any other railway line in the world.
The efficiency of the 653-kilometer-long mega-capacity black line in northern China has been enhanced, but it has also picked up a green lining.
The railway links the coal capital of Datong in Shanxi Province and the port city Qinhuangdao in Hebei Province.
Trains full of coal at the Hudong Train Station along the Daqin line. /CGTN Photo
Trains full of coal at the Hudong Train Station along the Daqin line. /CGTN Photo
The freight trains running on the line can carry up to 20,000 tons in a single trip. They are as long as 2.5 kilometers with more than 200 wagons and pulled by two locomotives, one in the front and the other in the middle. And the line runs at a speed of around 80 kilometers per hour.
So one sudden brake would cause a catastrophic accident. Wagons in the middle would be crushed in seconds. But the operators haven't made any major mistakes in the past 30 years. So what's the secret of their success?
The route of the Datong-Qinhuangdao railway line runs through mountains, bridges and tunnels. /CGTN Photo
The route of the Datong-Qinhuangdao railway line runs through mountains, bridges and tunnels. /CGTN Photo
Lin Jianmin, head of the Hudong Railway Station along the line, explained, “To ensure the train runs quickly and safely, we use domestically made high-power locomotives and the world's leading technology for simultaneous starting and stopping. And everyone working along the line has also contributed a lot through their hard work.”
China is stepping up its environmental protection campaign, which has thus increased the need for railway transportation which goes in a more green way.
A special gel is sprayed over the top of coal piles in train wagons to control dust. /CGTN Photo
A special gel is sprayed over the top of coal piles in train wagons to control dust. /CGTN Photo
Dong Bin, secretary of the Communist Party of China branch of Datong Railway Station, told CGTN, “All the trains running along the railway are electrically-driven. We spray special gel over the top of coal pile in train wagons to control dust, which is free of charge.”
Over the past three decades, the railway line has brought coal, China's main source of energy, to 26 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. It has fueled fast economic growth across the country.
(Cover photo: A train dispatcher is working along the Datong-Qinhuangdao Railway. /VCG Photo)