page_title: Xi'an–Ankang railway
section_title: Line description
hierarchical_section_title: Xi'an–Ankang railway / Line description
caption_attribution_description: English: Longhai(left two) and Xikang(right) Railways, at Baqiao, Xian
context_page_description: The Xi'an–Ankang railway or Xikang railway, is a single-track, electrified railroad in Shaanxi Province of China between Xi'an, the provincial capital, and Ankang. The line is 247.7 km long and was built from 1995 to 2001. As of June 2009, a second track is being planned for the line. Major cities and towns along route include Xi'an, Zhashui, Zhen'an County, Xunyang County and Ankang.
context_section_description: The Xikang line traverses the Qin Mountains, one of the geographic barriers that separate North and South China.  Xi'an, the provincial capital is located in the Wei River Valley and Ankang in southern Shaanxi is located in the Han River (Yangtze River tributary) Valley.  The Xikang line connects two of China's major east-west rail corridors, the Longhai railway and the Xiangyang–Chongqing railway and shortened travel distance between the two cities by 542 km (337 mi) and travel time by 14 hours.  Due to the rugged terrain of southern Shaanxi, the line has 41.2 km (26 mi) of bridges and 139.6 km (87 mi) of tunnels including the Qinling Tunnel, which is 18.5 km (11 mi) long and 1.6 km (1 mi) underneath the mountain at its deepest point.  The line was funded by low-interest development assistance loans from Japan.
caption: Electrified tracks of the Xikang line (right) running parallel with the Longhai railway at Baqiao in Xi'an
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