On April 22, the Nanjing-Ma'anshan suburban railway officially began initial operations. This cross-provincial, co-constructed and co-managed railway, the first of its kind in China, compresses the travel time between the central urban areas of Nanjing and Ma'anshan to a 30-minute direct trip. Underpinning this achievement, over 100 sets of high-performance turnouts, independently developed by China Railway Baoji Bridge Nanjing Company under China Railway Industrial, provide millimeter-level precision control, laying a solid foundation for this cross-provincial "golden corridor."
As a core member of the "national team" in the field of turnout research, development, and manufacturing in China, China Railway Baoji Bridge Nanjing Company, leveraging its deep technical expertise, has supplied Ningma Intercity with a full range of products, including 50-7 single turnouts, 60-12 movable-point single turnouts, and diamond crossings.
Turnouts are the throat determining train speed and ride comfort. To meet the high-frequency, high-density commuting demands between the two cities, the company's front-line technical craftsmen and engineers achieved multiple breakthroughs based on traditional processes.
It is reported that the turnouts deployed this time feature a customized long elastic flexible curve design for the switch rails, combined with a concealed structure, which significantly enhances structural stability under heavy loads, among other "hardcore" processes. Addressing later-stage maintenance challenges, the technical team equipped the switch rail area with a roller slide plate structure, effectively reducing mechanical friction resistance. Notably, to mitigate the "jumping" hazard when trains pass through the turnout, a dual anti-jump limiting technology was applied during construction, ensuring smooth and imperceptible ride quality from the source.
"Turnout laying is like embroidery work in rail transit construction; the track gap precision must be controlled at the millimeter level," said Zhao Nan, a Nanjing City model worker and artisan cultivation candidate from the company. During the critical construction phase, the company's after-sales and technical service teams were stationed on-site throughout. They collaborated with the construction party on fine-tuning activities, addressing technical bottlenecks such as the coordination between track and electrical systems and track gap control. This seamless connection from factory floor to construction front-line ensured the sensitive and stable operation of the turnout switching system, exemplifying the meticulous craftsmanship of industrial workers in the new era.
Currently, turnout products from China Railway Baoji Bridge under China Railway Industrial have been fully integrated into the national "Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal" high-speed rail network. From conquering the switching technology for movable-point frogs to optimizing the layout of anti-wear guard rails, the enterprise is continuously polishing the "golden business card" of China's manufacturing through ongoing technological iteration and the practical experience of its industrial workforce in the field.