Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Overview — Transport, Post and Telecommunications (Part 1)
Chapter 6 Transport, Post and Telecommunications. Transport is a vital foundation for the economic and social development of Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture. Over more than 50 years since the founding of New China, with strong state support and the strenuous efforts of all ethnic groups in the prefecture, transport has developed greatly, forming a system with railways as the backbone, highways as the network and shipping as a supplement.
This article has been compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · City Overview section). Some administrative divisions, population, socioeconomic data, and policy information may be outdated and are for reference only; for the latest situation, please refer to official releases by the local government and scenic areas.
Chapter Six: Transportation, Posts and Telecommunications
Transportation is an important foundation for the economic and social development of Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture. Over more than 50 years since the founding of New China, with strong support and assistance from the state and through the arduous struggle and unremitting efforts of all ethnic groups in the prefecture, the prefecture's transportation undertakings have developed greatly, forming a transportation pattern with railways as the main axis, highways as the network, and shipping as a supplement, greatly changing the situation of traffic isolation and backwardness that had made travel and transport difficult in Xiangxi since ancient times. At the same time, the posts and telecommunications undertakings of Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture have also developed rapidly. Since the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" period, postal and telecommunications enterprises have successively implemented multiple institutional reforms, introduced competitive incentive mechanisms, and achieved major breakthroughs in the construction of posts and telecommunications infrastructure. Especially in telecommunications and mobile services, they have dared to face difficulties, meet challenges, keep up with world technological trends, adopt the scientific and technological achievements of world-class enterprises, and develop modern communications undertakings in the vast, ancient, and mysterious mountains and ridges of Xiangxi, creating a blue sky of communications in sync with the world's advanced science and technology, and making a special and major contribution to Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture's efforts to escape poverty, become prosperous, and strive for moderate prosperity.
Section One: Railways
"Joyfully welcoming the iron dragon into the mountains" and changing the backward situation of traffic isolation in Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture as soon as possible—this was the long-cherished wish of all ethnic groups in Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture for many years. In the late 1970s, with the full-line opening of the Zhicheng-Liuzhou Railway (from Zhicheng, Hubei to Liuzhou, Guangxi) through the prefecture, the long-cherished wish of all ethnic groups in Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture finally became a beautiful reality.
The construction of the Zhicheng-Liuzhou Railway was one of the brilliant achievements of the "Third Front" construction. In the winter of 1969, amid the call of the "Third Front" construction, the Ministry of Railways, together with relevant units, began studying the engineering plan for the Hunan section of the Zhicheng-Liuzhou Railway. In June 1970, the Military Control Commission of the Ministry of Railways approved the "Lishui Route" plan and dispatched survey, design, and construction personnel to enter the site simultaneously, using the method of surveying, designing, and constructing while finalizing measurements. In October of the same year, construction design materials for the entire line were submitted.
Before, during, and after the survey and design, local governments at all levels in Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture promptly carried out mobilization and organization work to support railway construction. In April 1970, Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture established a railway construction command headquarters. Subsequently, construction teams were organized. At that time, more than 400,000 people across the prefecture signed up to support railway construction. After selection, 11 militia regiments were formed, organized into 469 companies and 5,576 squads, totaling 65,786 people, all of whom were dispatched to the construction site from September to October of the same year. In addition, militia teams organized by Shaoyang and other areas also came to participate in construction.
The construction tasks of the militia teams under Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture were mainly: building access roads, temporary roads, and approach lines; cooperating with the professional teams of the Fourth Railway Engineering Bureau and the Fifth Division of the Railway Bridge Bureau in the construction of key tunnels, key control projects, and the Youshui Railway Bridge; and undertaking highway maintenance, etc.
The vast numbers of militia officers and soldiers of Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture, together with railway workers and engineering technicians, set up work sheds in the lofty mountains and ridges along the project line, braved the wind and dew, blazed trails through thorns, and fought heroically, opening roads when encountering mountains and building bridges when encountering rivers. Finally, in December 1978, the Hunan section of the Zhicheng-Liuzhou Railway was joined at Guanba in Yongshun, and the entire line was opened to traffic.
The Zhicheng-Liuzhou Railway passes through 5 counties and cities in the prefecture: Yongshun, Guzhang, Jishou, Luxi, and Fenghuang, with a main line length of 145.32 kilometers within the prefecture. The Jishou Track Maintenance Section and Train Operation Section, established on January 1, 1983, were respectively responsible for the maintenance and repair of lines, bridges, tunnels, culverts, and roadbeds within the prefecture, as well as the organization, command, and passenger and freight transport tasks for train operations in the areas under their jurisdiction, and began trial operations. Formal operations began in 1985. From January 1, 1988, it merged with the Jiaozuo-Zhicheng Line (from Jiaozuo, Henan to Zhicheng, Hubei) and was renamed the Jiaozuo-Liuzhou Railway.
The Jishou Track Maintenance Section is located at No. 3 Guangming East Road, Jishou City, and administers the line section between Guanba in Yongshun and Huaihua City on the Jiaozuo-Liuzhou Railway (K1005+000 to K1190+700). Among them are 185.7 kilometers of main line, 58.369 kilometers of station lines, 50.069 kilometers of arrival-departure lines, 4.114 kilometers of dedicated lines, 179 sets of turnouts, 102 bridges totaling 13,502 linear meters, 139 tunnels totaling 79,149 linear meters, 451 culverts totaling 10,900 linear meters, 8 guarded level crossings, 129 mechanical power equipment units, 10 rail flaw detectors, 10 motor vehicles, and fixed assets of 973 million yuan.
The Jishou Train Operation Section is headquartered in Jishou City, located in the middle section of the Jiaozuo-Liuzhou Line, bordering the Zhangjiajie Train Operation Section to the north and adjacent to Huaihua and Huaihua South stations to the south, administering 22 intermediate stations. Among them, 16 intermediate stations are within the prefecture, from north to south: Yongmao, Huilong, Xinyongshun, Shirongxi, Mengdonghe, Guzhang, Paikou, Wanyan, Longbizui, Majing'ao, Xiangquan, Jishou, Jishou South, Zhoujiazhai, Lilüe, and Xinfenghuang; the Class III station for passenger and freight transport is Jishou Station, and the Class IV station is Mengdonghe Station.
Jishou Station: Located on Renmin North Road, Jishou City, at the central mileage of K1091+311 on the Jiaozuo-Liuzhou Line, it was upgraded from a Class IV station to a Class III station in 1989. It has 6 arrival-departure tracks with an effective length of 900 meters. After capacity expansion and renovation during the "Eighth Five-Year Plan" period, the passenger platform is 980 meters, the waiting room usable area is 1,340 square meters, and the baggage room area is 321 square meters. The train reception signal is color-light, train operation contact uses semi-automatic block equipment, and the square lighting uses energy-saving new light source thallium sodium lamps. In 1995, the cargo arrival and dispatch volumes were 475,000 tons and 440,400 tons, respectively 2.79 times and 5.6 times those of 1983, and 1.42 times and 1.44 times those of 1988. In 1995, passenger dispatch volume was 1.076 million person-trips, an increase of 2.7 times and 68.7% over 1983 and 1988.
Mengdonghe Station: Located at Dalang'ao, Luoyixi Town, Guzhang County, with a central mileage of K1035+722 on the Jiaozuo-Liuzhou Line. In 1995, it had 3 arrival-departure tracks with an effective length of 660 meters, a passenger platform length of 552 meters, a waiting room of 269 square meters, and a baggage room of 50 square meters. Because it is located at the Mengdonghe tourist attraction, passengers are increasing day by day. In 1995, passenger dispatch volume was 127,000 person-trips, an increase of 1.37 times and 29.9% over 1983 and 1988. The dedicated line of the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Timber Storage Yard branches off at this station. In 1995, cargo arrival and dispatch volumes were 59,700 tons and 82,700 tons, respectively 4.15 times and 1.93 times those of 1983, and 2.96 times and 1.55 times those of 1988.
In 2005, 9 pairs of passenger trains and 24 pairs of freight trains passed through the prefecture daily. Jishou Station dispatched a total of 1.7 million passengers that year. Its economic radiation area reaches more than 20 counties and cities in the border regions of Hunan, Hubei, Chongqing, and Guizhou, and Jishou City has become a distribution center and commercial hub for passenger and freight transport in the border area of the four provinces and municipalities.