| China National Railway Test Centre | |
|---|---|
 A CR220J running on the circular test track, with the China Railway Museum (East Suburb Branch) and China National Film Museum visible. | |
| Overview | |
| Owner | China Railway |
| Locale | Chaoyang District, Beijing, China |
| Service | |
| Operator(s) | China Academy of Railway Sciences Group Co., Ltd. |
| History | |
| Opened | 15 January 1958 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 25 kV AC, 50 Hz, overhead catenary |
The China National Railway Test Centre (Dongjiao Branch), formerly known as the China Academy of Railway Sciences Circular Railway Test Base, commonly abbreviated as Beijing Circular Railway or Huantie, is a large comprehensive railway test base located near the Northeast Fifth Ring Road in Chaoyang District, Beijing, China. It is currently the only circular railway test track in China and Asia. Completed in 1958, it features 38 kilometres (24 mi) of railway lines and scientific research laboratories, covering a total area of 64 hectares (160 acres), and is managed by China Academy of Railway Sciences Group Co., Ltd.. Its main purpose is to conduct comprehensive testing on various aspects, including rolling stock, urban rail transit vehicles, infrastructure, communication signals, and railway electrification technology. All new railway vehicles, after leaving the factory, must enter the test base via the dedicated line from Beijing Chaoyang railway station (formerly Xinghuo Station) on the Shuangsha railway to the China Academy of Railway Sciences Dongjiao Branch [1] for performance and safety evaluations.
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The lines within the test centre include an outer loop, an inner loop, yard lines, wyes, connecting lines, and loop entry lines. The largest outer loop is 9 km (5.6 mi) long, with a radius of 1,852 m (6,076 ft), and a constant curve radius of 1,432 m (4,698 ft) throughout its length. The inner loop is approximately 8.5 km (5.3 mi) long, consisting of one straight section and three curved sections with radii of 350 m (1,150 ft), 600 m (2,000 ft), and 1,000 m (3,300 ft). [2] All circular lines are electrified.
Near the test centre is the China Railway Museum (East Suburb Branch), and to the east of the inner side of the circular line is the Beijing Chaoyang EMU Depot. Additionally, due to the test base's proximity to the famous 798 Art Zone, and because some artists felt that 798 had become overly commercialized, they gradually established their living and creative bases in abandoned railway warehouses within the circular railway area, which encompasses over 140 ha (350 acres) of land. This slowly formed a distinctive "Huantie Art Zone" [3] [4] . The land within this area may also be gradually developed.
