A new China Railway timetable will come into effect on 21 September 2017, with new passenger and cargo trains offered on a number of railway lines. At the same time, the CR Revival Express (Fuxing Hao) high speed train will be the first to operate 350 km/h (217 mph) high speed services on the Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway, making China home to the world's fastest train in revenue service.
As explained by a China Railway official, the Revival Express high speed train is a China Standard electrical multiple unit (EMU) train built and designed for speeds of 350 km/h, and thanks to advanced technologies, is an even safer, economical, and comfortable train. Trial 350 km/h runs took place in July 2017, passing feasibility and safety checks. Following a full evaluation, 350 km/h operations on the Beijing-Shanghai HSR have been confirmed and are to be realised. Extensive preparatory work, including technical, hardware, personnel, and operational preparation, have been undertaken by China Railway, Beijing-Shanghai HSR Co, and the Beijing, Ji'nan, and Shanghai railway bureaus, to enable 350 km/h operations on the Beijing-Shanghai HSR using the Revival Express trains. Starting from 21 September 2017, the railways will operate 14 trains (7 pairs) of Revival Express trains to operate at 350 km/h, which will include Trains G1-G10, as well as Trains G13, G14, G17, and G18, completing the full run from Beijing to Shanghai in around four and a half hours.
Major cities along the Beijing-Shanghai HSR will benefit from the new and improved 350 km/h Revival Express train services, and the new trains will offer customers greater variety in choosing high speed services.
The new timetable will also offer new express trains on the Wuhan-Jiujiang HSR starting September 2017, with 52 trains (26 pairs) arranged for the new line, including 16 long-distance high speed G trains (8 pairs). The new line will shorten travel times between the provinces of Hubei and Jiangxi.Other new trains will also include 34 new trains (17 pairs), including Xi'an North-Fuzhou, Wuhan-Wenzhou South, Beijing South-Qingdao North,and Lanzhou West-Nanchang West services.A further 27 trains (13.5 pairs) will have their routes improved,and 236 new cargo trains will run.
The China Railway official has also indicated that the new timetables serve to better serve people, and will further railway supply-side reforms. The new timetable reflects on the needs of customers by improving railway services being made available, and offers more effective transport service solutions. By optimising the use of railway resources, passengers and cargo customers will see improvements in efficiency. The travelling public will be able to take advantage of the new timetable, further contributing to the economy and the developments in society.
For more information on the new timetable, please visit the official China Railway website at 12306.cn, or follow the official China Railway Weibo and WeChat accounts. Information is also available at public notice boards at major stations.
