A fleet of 15 of China's new high-speed "bullet" trains has been organized to tackle the passenger rush before and after the traditional Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 18.

 

Six of the high-speed trains, known as CRH (China Railway High-speed), would become operational on the line between Guangzhou and Shenzhen, two boom cities in the southern Guangdong Province, on Thursday, said a spokesman with Guangzhou Railway Group.

 

The trains are 214 meters long, 3.3 meters wide and have eight carriages that can carry 668 people -- 144 in first-class and 524 in economy class.

 

The trains were more comfortable than traditional trains, with wider aisles and more spacious and handicapped-accessible bathrooms, said the spokesman.

 

He said the group sent 126 drivers and repairmen to training programs at universities in Beijing and Sichuan last year, and 34 were licensed to drive the trains at above 200 km per hour.

 

In China, trains with a maximum speed of 200 kmh and above are known as CRH. The new bullet trains will begin operating at a top speed of 250 kmh in April, when the Ministry of Railways launches the sixth nationwide rise in the speed limit.

 

A previous rise in 2004 brought most trains to 160 kmh and the fastest to 200 kmh.

 

Yet for safety reasons, the ministry has temporarily capped the maximum speed of the bullet trains to 160 kmh during the holiday rush, which starts on Feb. 3 and will last for 40 days.

 

The ministry said Chinese travelers were expected to make 156 million train journeys during the holiday.

 

The bullet trains made their debut on Sunday between Shanghai and the nearby eastern cities of Ningbo, Nanjing and Hangzhou.

 

The locomotives and carriages were based on Japan's Shinkansen bullet train technology and built by Qingdao-based Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co., Ltd under China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock (CSR).

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 1, 2007)