The combined passenger and freight line is 255.6 kilometres (158.8 mi) long.

[2] The line was built as a joint project between the Ministry of Railways and Shandong Province.

[4] The line departs from the Beijing–Shanghai railway south of Dezhou and heads east.

There are several branches, including a chord which leads on to the Zibo–Dongying railway heading north towards Dongying.

[5] At Dajiawa, the line continues east as the freight-only Dajiawa–Laizhou–Longkou railway.