China launched its largest scale railway speed increase Sunday,
with the speeds of its major lines raised to 160 kilometers per
hour, cutting the travel time between Beijing and Shanghai, the two
largest cities in China, to a half day.
Running from Beijing to Shanghai, the fastest direct express
train only takes 11 hours and 58 minutes, two hours less than the
former 14 hours, said an official with the Chinese Ministry of
Railways.
Amid the speed increase, three new pairs of direct express train
have been added to the Beijing-Shanghai route, with the total
direct express trains increased to eight pairs. It is believed that
the transport pressure on the busiest Chinese railway line will be
alleviated, said the official.
The Ministry of Railways added a total of 19 pairs of new direct
express trains during this round of speed acceleration, running
non-stop from Beijing to some major cities like Shanghai, Hangzhou,
Suzhou, Yangzhou, Nanjing, Hefei, Harbin, Changchun, Changsha,
Wuchang, Hankou, Xi'an and from Tianjin to Shanghai.
The ministry also readjusted the national railway schedule,
increasing the number of night trains so as to bring more
convenience to passengers. The number of tourist trains was also
increased to meet the demand of the national tourism market.
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The ministry said after the speed increase, China has basically
established three "express railway circles," respectively centered
around Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Passengers from cities about 500 kilometers away can travel to
the three centers by rail on a morning to evening train, those
about 1,200 to 1,500 kilometers away can travel to the three
centers from the evening to the morning of the next day, and those
about 2,000 and 2,500 kilometers away can arrive within 24
hours.
It is China's fifth railway speed acceleration, with the former
four times respectively launched in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2001.
The ministry said China has set the timetable for the sixth
railway speed increase, which will be launched next year with its
major lines running at a speed of 200 kilometers per hour.
(Xinhua News Agency April 19, 2004)