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JINSHAN RAILWAY All-day Dispatch 2024

Shanghai Suburban Railway Jinshan Line (Jinshan Railway) Daily Dispatch

Note 1: Station wiring diagrams refer to Wikipedia as a source.

Note 2: Timetables are arranged according to the weekday plan effective from April 24, 2024. Due to the construction of Xinzhuang Station and the need to rearrange schedules on weekends and holidays, future changes in operation schedules are possible. Therefore, this map should not be used as a reference for travel.

Note 3: The S1642 short loop from Chedun Station to Shanghai South Railway Station is not included in this map.

The Shanghai Suburban Railway Jinshan Line originates at Shanghai South Railway Station and terminates at Jinshanwei Station, covering a total distance of 56.4 kilometers. This line is a mixed passenger and freight Level I Double-Track Electrified Railway that traverses through the Xuhui, Minhang, Songjiang, and Jinshan districts of Shanghai, currently featuring 8 stations.

With the completion of the remaining sections of the third and fourth lines from Chunshen Station to Shanghai South Railway Station delayed due to the demolition issues, a new station, Xinzhuang Station, will be added by the end of 2024.

During its planning and construction phase, the Jinshan Line was referred to by local residents and some media as Shanghai Metro Line 22, a name that continues to be widely used by residents along the line post-opening. It is important to clarify that this line has no association with the currently planned Shanghai Metro Line 22.


History:
Originally established in 1975, the Jinshan Railway served as a transportation facility supporting the Shanghai Petrochemical Complex(SPC). Starting from the Xinqiao-Minhang Railway, it passed through the now-defunct Minhang West Station, crossed the Huangpu River Bridge(nowadays’ Songpu Bridge) constructed at the same year, and went through Yexie Station, the defunct Shanyang Station and Jinshanwei East Station, ending at Jinshanwei West Station. The Jinshan Railway primarily carried freight for Shanghai Petrochemical Complex and also operated four pairs of commuter trains for SPC employees between the city center and the petrochemical plant area, which were subsequently phased out from 2002 to 2004.

With the turn of the millennium, due to low frequency and speed (maximum 60 km/h) of passenger services on the Jinshan Railway, along with aging infrastructure and the lack of approval for metro construction in Jinshan District, the local government proactively sought support from the National Ministry of Railways to prevent disruption in connectivity with Shanghai's urban areas. Benefiting from a relaxed politics environment and minimal conflict of interests, the planning approval was successfully obtained in 2004.

The Jinshan Railway renovation project commenced in 2009. Based on the existing line, additional tracks were constructed, and the Shanghai-Hangzhou Passenger Dedicated Line's connection to Shanghai South Railway Station (i.e., the third and fourth lines entering the Shanghai South Railway Station) was included. Originally planned to extend the double tracks of Jinshan Railway(the third and fourth lines) from the Xinqiao station to the Shanghai South Railway Station, the segment from Chunshen Station to Shanghai South Railway Station could not be completed due to demolition issues at that time. Also, the Huangpu River Grand Bridge and the Xinqiao Grand Bridge were constructed. The entire line was built to the standards of a Level I double-track electrified main line with a design speed of up to 160 km/h.

Following the renovation, the Shanghai Suburban Railway Jinshan Line officially started operations on September 28, 2012.


Operation:
Operated by China Railway Shanghai Bureau Group Company, the Jinshan Line is also the first line in the Shanghai Suburban Railway system, setting a precedent for the commuterization of old railways in China. This commuter model has high foresight and exemplariness both in Shanghai and nationwide, particularly against the backdrop of China's relatively short history of commuter railway development.

The Jinshan Line is not part of the Shanghai Metro system, thus cannot utilize the Metro Metropolitan App for travel. Although initially not included in the Shanghai Metro's network maps, since December 2017, the maps have been updated to indicate "transfer to Jinshan Railway," and by 2019, all station names were displayed. Passengers can use Railway Magnetic Media Tickets, Shanghai Public Transport Cards, and National Transport Joint Cards for travel on the Jinshan Line, which is not subject to the real-name system, thus no ID card is required for purchasing tickets, entering stations, or boarding trains.

Regarding rolling stock, the Jinshan Line is currently equipped with 3 sets of CRH2A EMU Trains, 2 sets of CRH6A EMU Trains, and 4 sets of CRH6F EMU Trains. CRH2A EMU Trains are dispatched by the Shanghai Bureau for general duty when they are not serving the Jinshan Line, while CRH6A and CRH6F EMU Trains are dedicated to the Jinshan Line.


Challenges:
The Jinshan Railway faces several shortcomings, primarily due to unreasonable route planning that failed to establish the third/fourth line parallel to the Shanghai-Kunming Railway after the Xinqiao station, forcing trains to share tracks with other trains. As a mixed passenger and freight line, over 20 freight trains cut across the line daily, making it difficult to increase the number of passenger train services and consequently reducing passenger flow, leading to a vicious cycle.

Additionally, the overall eastern alignment of the track has resulted in the loss of potential passengers from large residential areas along Tingwei Highway. Stations such as Jinshan Industrial Zone Station, Tinling Station, and Yexie Station have almost no surrounding residential population, further decreasing passenger flow.

Furthermore, the inflexibility in operation by the national railway, especially the large intervals between services during off-peak hours and no services after 10 PM, coupled with the inconvenience of transferring through a lengthy underground passage to reach Metro Line 1 and 15 at Shanghai South Railway Station, significantly complicates passenger travel.

The low fare pricing also leads to operational profitability challenges, further diminishing the enthusiasm for railway operation. These factors collectively render the Jinshan Railway as Shanghai's only, and criticized, commuter railway, placing it at a disadvantage in competition with the Jinshan Passenger Transport Company's (Lianhua Road Metro Station to X) Express Bus Line.


Advantages and Future Prospects:
Despite its shortcomings, the Jinshan Railway represents a significant success as a model of Shanghai's suburban railway. It achieves a high level of commuterization with all trains offering unreserved seating and operates under a bus model, similar to Japan's JR systems and comparable to Germany's S-Bahn in terms of service density.

It plays a critical role in connecting the Shihua Subdistrict (where the Jinshanwei station locates, with a population more than 130,000 and most developed economic in Jinshan District, “Shihua” in Chinese means “petrochemical”)with the urban areas of Shanghai, serving the residents along the line. Moreover, the Jinshan Railway marks the beginning of China's railway transformation from traditional freight-focused lines to modern commuter rail systems.

Looking forward, as the Shanghai suburban railway network continues to build and improve, the Jinshan Railway is expected to interconnect with the Shanghai Suburban Railway Nanfeng Line at Tinling Station. By 2025, the number of daily train services on the Jinshan Line is anticipated to increase from the current 37 pairs to 52 pairs, promising a bright future of Jinshan Railway.