Shanxi, one of the top three major coal-producing bases in China, has delivered 6.4 billion tonnes of coal outside the province since the 18th National Congress in November 2012, representing over 70% of China's total inter-provincial coal shipments during the same period and playing a significant role in ensuring the country's energy supply and security.

 

The significant outward transportation volume indicates a considerable demand for transport capacity, especially for cost-effective rail-sea intermodal transport. This requires continued expansion of rail networks to connecting major ports in northern and eastern China.

 

Shanxi has established three major coal routes: North, Middle, and South Channels, and one north-south trunk line – Tongpu railway.

 

The North Channel is composed of Daqin railway and Shuohuang railway, which mainly transports thermal coal from Shanxi province to Beijing-tianjing-Hebei region, northwestern and eastern China, as well as ports like Qinhuangdao, Jingtang, Tianjin and Huanghua.

 

The Middle Channel consists of Shitai railway and the Hanchang-Hanhuang railway. It mainly transports coking coal and anthracite coal from eastern and central Shanxi to eastern central and southern China as well as Qingdao port.

 

The South Channel consists of Taijiao and Houyue railways, which mainly transport coking coal, fat coal and anthracite coal from Shanxi to central, southern and eastern China, as well as ports including Rizhao and Lianyungang.

 

Daqin railway

Daqin railway is the first heavy-haul railway in China, starting from Datong city of Shanxi province in the west to Qinhuangdao port of Hebei province in the east with a total length of 653 kilometers. It shoulders 1/5 of the total rail coal transportation in China.

 

Daqin railway has the largest single-track transportation capacity and the best transport efficiency with highest density of heavy-haul trains in the world since its operation in 1988.

 

From January to November 2023, total shipments of Daqin line amounted to 387.74 million tonnes, up 7.49% on the year, the highest in the past four years, according to operator Daqin Railway Co., Ltd.

 

Shuohuang railway

Shuohuang railway starts from Shenchi county in Shanxi province in the west and ends at Huanghua port in Hebei province in the east, which is designed as a national Class I trunk line with annual transport capacity at 450 million tonnes in the long term.

 

Shuohuang railway, China's second-largest railway for west-to-east coal delivery after Daqin, has maintained coal shipments above 300 million tonnes for six consecutive years. It had delivered 330.25 million tonnes of coal during the year to December 13, 2023.

 

Shitai railway

Shitai railway, formerly known as Zhengtai railway, is a main railway line connecting Shijiazhuang in Hebei to Taiyuan in Shanxi, with a total length of 243 kilometers.

 

It also connects to Beiguang railway (Beijing-Guangzhou) and Tongpu railway to transport coal from Shanxi to Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and other regions in the south of the Yangtze River.

 

Shitai railway is the first railway in Shanxi with a history of over one hundred year. It delivers nearly 200,000 tonnes of thermal coal per day to all parts of the country.

 

Hanchang-Hanhuang railway

Commenced operations in 2015, Hanchang railway connects Handan city in Hebei with Changzhi in Shanxi, with a total length of 221.7 kilometers.

 

It connects with Hanhuang railway, a regional trunk railway in Hebei starting from Handan city to Huanghua port with a total length of 468 kilometers. Hanhuang line is mainly used for coal transportation and also customer freight.

 

Hanchang-Hanhuang railway becomes a major channel for coal transport from central and southern Shanxi to Huanghua port in Hebei province and Qingdao port in Shandong.

 

Taijiao railway

The Taijiao line starts from Taiyuan in Shanxi and ends at Jiaozuo in Henan, passing through 5 prefecture-level cities with a total length of 398 kilometers and 51 stations.

 

Taijiao railway's annual coal transportation capacity reaches nearly 100 million tonnes.

 

Houyue railway

Houyue railway starts from Houma county-level city in Shanxi and ends at Rizhao port in Shandong with a total length of 252 kilometers.

 

Houyue railway reduces the transport burden of the Longhai railway and greatly shortens the transportation distance between the northwestern China and the Shandong seaport.

 

The railway transports more than 100 million tonnes of coal every year.

 

Tongpu line

Tongpu railway starts from Datong in northern Shanxi and ends in Yuncheng in southern Shanxi and then crosses the Yellow River and connects to the Longhai railway at Huashan station with a total length of 865 kilometers.

 

Tongpu railway is mainly responsible for transporting coal from Shanxi through railways in North, Middle and South routes, which also shoulders most of the cargo organization tasks of the Daqin railway.

 

In addition, there are other coal transportation lines such as Houxi, Caoxi and Xinghe railway.

 

Newly-operated Xinghe railway connects Heshun county in Shanxi and Xingtai city in Hebei province, forming a major railway channel in central and southern Hebei with Hanhuang and Taihe railway. The freight capacity of the channel is expected to reach more than 40 million tonnes per year.

 

Road transportation is also a main way for coal shipments from Shanxi to other regions. Since the "10th Five-Year Plan", the volume of highway shipments has increased at a rate of 10 million tonnes per year.

 

However, the proportion of coal shipments by the road in Shanxi shrank again with the increase of road-railway transport.

 

Shanxi's coal shipments to other provinces and regions increased significantly in recent years. Some organizations predicted that it could reach 772.85 million tonnes in 2023.