China upgrades coal transport channel capable of handling over 100 mln tonnes annually

File photo shows a train runs along the Hongqiqu-Shuiye section of Watang-Rizhao Railway in central China's Henan Province, Jan. 15, 2019. (Xinhua/Li An)

TAIYUAN, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- The total volume of freight carried on the Watang-Rizhao Railway exceeded 103 million tonnes in 2022, which means China has upgraded another energy transport corridor capable of handling over 100 million tonnes of coal annually, according to China Railway Taiyuan Bureau Group Co., Ltd.

The railway, which begins in Watang Township in north China's Shanxi Province and ends at Rizhao Port in east China's Shandong Province, connects China's seven major railway routes. It is a heavy-haul coal transportation channel connecting the main coal-producing regions in China.

With joint efforts to improve coal transport efficiency, the Watang-Rizhao Railway saw its annual transport volume increase steadily from 73.9 million tonnes in 2020 to over 100 million tonnes last year.

The channel is also a major route for China's west-to-east coal transportation, ensuring the country's energy consumption demand is met.