China Railway Taiyuan Group began a 12-day autumn maintenance campaign on the Shitai railway from September 2 to eliminate track hazards and improve equipment quality, strengthening the transport corridor for Shanxi coal shipments.

The Shitai line, linking provincial capital Taiyuan with Shijiazhuang in Hebei province, carries nearly 200,000 tonnes of thermal coal and other supplies daily to destinations across the country.

The railway has shipped 49.17 million tonnes of freight so far this year as of August 31, up 770,000 tonnes from the same period last year, supporting energy security and stable supply chains.

The mountainous route features steep gradients and sharp curves, causing significant track wear, while recent persistent rainfall has damaged track foundations and flood-control facilities. The maintenance work will markedly improve the line's infrastructure.

Crews will use a 180-minute daily maintenance window, deploying 26 teams of 1,510 workers to complete 15 tasks, including replacing 13,401 sleepers, deep-screening 13.6 km of ballast bed, tamping 49.5 km of track and renovating 33 sets of turnouts.

Following the Shitai campaign, maintenance work on the Wari and Caoxi lines will also commence to restore equipment to good condition after high-intensity operations.