Passenger rail transport in China


Passenger rail transport is one of the principal means of transport in the People's Republic of China, with rail passenger traffic exceeding 1.86 billion railway trips in 2011. It is operated by the China Railway Corporation. The Spring Festival Travel Season is the peak railway travel season of the year.

Passenger train classes and route identifiers

Every train route has an identification number of two to five characters arranged by the Ministry of Railways. The first character can be alphabetic or numeric, while the second to fifth characters are all numeric.
Trains are classified as either up trains or down trains. Since the capital Beijing is treated as the focal point of the rail network, trains from Beijing are down services, while trains towards Beijing are up services.
Trains that do not go either to or from Beijing are similarly designated up or down based on whether the railway they are traveling on would eventually lead them away from or towards Beijing. For example, the Z90 from Guangzhou to Shijiazhuang is an up service as it travels from Guangzhou in the direction of Beijing, but terminates in Shijiazhuang before reaching the capital.
Some longer routes change from being an up service to a down service, or vice versa, mid-route, with more than one reversal being possible on the same route. In this case, the train would have two designations. For example, the G1202 and G1205 both refer to the same train from Harbin to Shanghai. From Harbin as far as Tianjin West Railway Station, the service is the G1202 up service traveling in the "up-direction" of the Beijing–Harbin High-Speed Railway towards Beijing, but after Tianjin West the train begins traveling away from Beijing down the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway towards Shanghai, becoming the G1205 in the process. Note that this is not to be confused with the G1208/G1205 from Qingdao to Harbin, which also switches at Tianjin West.
The Z31/Z34 from Wuchang to Ningbo is a more complicated example. It starts as the Z31 down service from Wuchang to Zhuji, traveling away from Beijing. At Zhuji, it becomes the Z34 up service towards Beijing. However, one stop later at Shaoxing, it reverts to being the Z31.

Types

The leading letter in the route identifier indicates the train class, which is generally determined by top speed and stopping pattern.
The types of train services available since 2015 include:

CRH trains

The high-speed rail network in China is the world's longest and most extensively used. The network encompasses newly built rail lines with a design speed of 200 to 380 km/h. The network accounts for two-thirds of the world's total high-speed railway networks. Almost all trains, track and service are owned and operated by the China Railway Corporation under the brand China Railway High-speed.

G ("Gaosu Dongche", 高速动车; High Speed EMU Train)

This class mostly consists of long-distance high-speed trains. These are generally the fastest services available and their top speed can be up to, but a considerable portion of the network only allows for travel speeds under. G1–G5998 is used for services running through multiple railway bureaux, while G6001–G9998 is used for those running within one railway bureau. G trains usually do not run overnight and thus have no sleeper car.
File:CRH380B-5737 and CR400BF-3021 at Shanghai Railway Station.jpg|thumb|CRH380B EMU and CR400BF EMU in Shanghai railway station

D ("Dongche", 动车; EMU Train)

This class was introduced after the sixth rise in speed of the railway on. Their top speed is usually limited to 200–250 km/h. These services are run using CRH series electric multiple units named "Harmony". The designations D1–D3998 are used for services running through multiple railway bureaux, while the designations D4001–D9998 for those running within one railway bureau. D services can run on high-speed lines, upgraded conventional lines or even over conventional railways at conventional speeds for a portion of their journey to connect some cities off the high-speed network.
D services provide relatively fast frequent service between main cities in China. For example:
Furthermore, a few other nighttime D trains also run on longer routes, such as the services between Shanghai and Beijing.

C ("Chengji Dongche", 城际动车; Intercity EMU Train)

This class was introduced after with the opening of the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity. They are usually EMU services within a metropolitan region, and usually run within one railway bureau. The top speed is but many run at speeds from 200 to 160 km/h. The designations C1–C1998 are used for trains running through multiple railway bureaux, the designations C2001–C9998 for those running within one railway bureau. Some of these services serve the purpose of commuter trains to or from satellite cities surrounding major urban centres or from downtown to the airport, as in Lanzhou.

Classic Rail trains

The classic rail network, also known as conventional rail, forms the backbone of China's railway system alongside the high-speed rail network. These traditional railway lines operate at speeds below and serve a dual role in transporting both passengers and freight. Unlike the high-speed CRH services, which tracks are primarily dedicated and electrified, classic rail consists of older lines that may be single or double-tracked, with varying degrees of electrification.
Historically, the slower classic rail trains were in olive green livery, leading to the nickname "green train" to be used colloquially. Since 2014, most carriages that were in other colours have been repainted olive-green. Classic Rail trains are also sometimes referred to as "slow trains" in English.
Classic rail trains have significantly lower ticket prices compared to CRH trains and are a popular choice with travellers on a budget.

D ("Dongche", 动车; Electric Multiple Units)

The 'D' trains operating on classic railway lines, unlike those running on high-speed lines, have an operational speed of 160 km/h rather than 200-250 km/h. They feature passenger car interiors largely similar to high-speed trains, including newly designed sleeper cars. These services are designed to gradually replace the existing Z-series trains and may potentially replace the T-series trains in the future.
D trains on classic railways are operated by the CR200J Fuxing electric multiple units, which utilize a centralized power configuration.

Z ("Zhida", 直达; Non-Stop Express)

, despite their name technically implying a "non-stop" overnight train, sometimes stop several times before reaching their destination. The majority have both soft sleepers and hard sleepers, while some Z trains have only soft sleepers. The top speed is 160 km/h. The designations Z1-Z9998 are distributed without regard to the number of railway bureaux entered. Z trains are typically served by the 25T train coaches.
This class was introduced with the fifth rise in speed of the railway on. In the early years, all but one pair of Z services had either Beijing or Beijing West station as their destination or origin. As of 2009, Z-series trains also operated along the Yangtze Valley as well, providing overnight services from Wuhan to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Shenzhen.
File:T261・262大連－哈尔滨A158995.jpg|thumb|An express train running between Harbin and Dalian

T ("Tekuai", 特快; Limited Express)

The T class trains have a limited number of stops along their routes, usually only in major cities, or in some instances stops for switching the driver or locomotive. The top speed is 140 km/h. The designations T1–T4998 are used for services running in multiple railway bureaux, while T5001–T9998 are used for those running within one railway bureau.
T class trains are typically served by the 25K train coaches, which have a top speed of 140 km/h.

K ("Kuaisu", 快速; Express)

The K class trains stop at more stations than those of the T series do. Their top speed is 120 km/h. The designations K1–K6998 are used for trains running in multiple railway bureaux, while K7001 to K9998 are used for trains running within one railway bureau. K trains are typically served by the 25G train coaches.
After April 18, 2004, N class trains, which represent fast trains travelling exclusively within one railway bureau, were derived from the K class. Then, all K class trains would travel on lines operated by more than one railway bureau. After, all N class trains were given K designations again.

General Fast Train

General fast trains are slower passenger trains that stop at around half of the stations along the way, resulting in a longer travel time than the fast trains. The top speed is 120 km/h. Route numbers are always four numeric digits—a numeric prefix from 1-5 followed by a 3-digit route number. Numbers 1001–1998 for the trains running through three or more railway bureaus, 2001–3998 for the trains running through two railway bureaus, and 4001–5998 for the trains that run in only one railway bureau.

General Train

The general train has as many stops as possible, and is often the preferred choice for rural workers to visit their home villages because of low ticket price. This is the slowest type of train and has the lowest priority in the Fixed Train Timetable. The top speed is 100 km/h. These trains are often the only available transportation in rural area lacking highway infrastructures, but is gradually being phased out in favour of faster trains.
Route identifiers for general trains are always 4 digits—a numeric prefix from 6-7 followed by a 3-digit route number. 6001–6198 are used for the trains that run in more than one railway bureau, while 7001–7598 will be used for the trains that run in only one railway bureau.
File:Wuchang Railway Station - exiting arrival area - P1260663.JPG|thumb|A Wuhan North-Wuchang South employee commuter train makes a rare appearance in the arrival announcement board at Wuchang Railway Station. Although the service has been operating since 2010, the train - or either of its terminals - have never been listed in the reservation systems accessible to general public.