At the departure point of the 20000 ton heavy-duty train at Hudong Station on the Daqin Line, the driver is pressing the traction handle as the coal dragon consisting of 210 carriages slowly starts and heads towards the direction of Bohai Bay. This is the busiest heavy-duty railway in China, and the start and stop of each train directly affects the coal warehouse inventory of coastal power plants and the electricity heating of thousands of households.

On September 7th, Daqin Railway disclosed its operational data for August, with a monthly transportation volume of 30.91 million tons and an average daily transportation volume difference of 2900 tons, reaching the million ton mark. The cumulative transportation volume in the first eight months was 266 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 5.29% against the trend. In the national cross regional coal transportation channel, each set of numbers on this route is the most intuitive barometer of energy supply guarantee.

Heavy duty train operation density remains high

In August, the Daqin Line operated an average of 82.9 heavy trains per day, of which 45 were 20000 ton ultra long and heavy-duty trains running steadily every day, equivalent to nearly 900000 tons of coal being transported continuously from the Jinbei coalfield to the ports around the Bohai Sea. The monthly transportation volume slightly decreased by 4.3% year-on-year, not due to inadequate transportation capacity, but due to temporary adjustments in line operation speed caused by local heavy rainfall, coupled with the replacement of some coal demand by southern hydropower, which is a normal seasonal fluctuation.

The increase in transportation volume in the first eight months exceeded 10 million tons

The cumulative transportation volume of the Daqin Line from January to August increased by 13.4 million tons of coal compared to the same period last year, which is equivalent to the total transportation volume of nearly 300 20000 ton heavy-duty trains. This directly stabilizes the coal inventory in the Bohai Rim ports at a safe range of over 24 million tons, and stabilizes the bottom line of coal consumption for electricity during peak summer season. As the northern heating season approaches, the daily consumption of downstream power plants continues to rise, and the heavy load operation density of the Daqin Line will further increase.

From the signal lights that stay on all night in the valleys of northern Shanxi to the coal ships slowly docking at Qinhuangdao Port, every heavy load train roaring past on the Daqin Line turns the black coal underground into the most tangible link of stable lights and warmth for thousands of households.Editor/Cheng Liting