The Xinyi–Changxing railway or Xinchang railway (), also known as the Xinchang line (), is a single-track railway line in eastern China between the cities of Xinyi in Jiangsu Province and Changxing County in Zhejiang Province. It runs north-south through the entire length of Jiangsu Province and the northern tip of Zhejiang. Major cities along route include Huai'an, Yancheng, Hai'an, Jingjiang, Jiangyin and Yixing. Including a spur from Hai'an to Nantong, the Xinchang railway is in total length. It used a train ferry to cross the Yangtze River, but this closed in 2019. Passenger services south of Hai'an have also been abandoned. The Yancheng–Yixing intercity railway, which is due to open in about 2030, will offer passenger services to some of the places formerly served by this line.
History The Xinchang railway was the first railway to be built in Jiangsu Province north of the Yangtze River. Construction began in September 1998 and the entire line was completed in April 2005. Passenger and freight service commenced on July 1, 2005. A connection to Nantong (a section of the Nanjing–Qidong railway) was added in 2008.(Chinese) "新长铁路'一线'完成铺轨" Mar. 20, 2008 The train ferry closed on 16 December 2019. Passenger services south of Hai'an have also been abandoned.
Route The Xinchang railway connects with the Longhai and Jiaozhou–Xinyi railways in the north and with the Nanjing–Nantong, Beijing–Shanghai, Xuancheng–Hangzhou railways in the south.
Until 2019, the Xinchang line was the only major inland rail line in China to use a river ferry. As the railway has no bridge or tunnel crossing at the Yangtze River, trains had to be ferried across the river from Jingjiang on the northern side of the river (terminal at ) to Jiangyin on the southern side (terminal at ). At its peak, a pair of ferries made 48 trips per day across the river.(Chinese) "新长铁路轮渡日运送千余车皮 有效分流沪宁铁路运输压力" Xinhua Sept. 9, 2009
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