Chinese railways adopted new schedules on December 26, adding more passenger and cargo services to improve efficiency and capacity with increased demand expected following the easing of epidemic measures, China State Railway Group said. A total of 12,092 passenger trains and 21,788 cargo trains will run every day, an increase of 126 passenger trains and 100 cargo trains compared with the previous schedule. New epidemic measures were introduced last month, and nucleic acid test results and health codes are no longer required for travel. Greater passenger and cargo demand is expected during the upcoming Spring Festival travel rush, which begins on January 7 and ends on February 15, which will include family visits and tourism, the resumption of work and production, and transport of coal for winter power production. To prepare for the Spring Festival travel rush, more seasonal tickets and other coupons that benefit business travelers and frequent commuters will be available. More commuter and rapid services have been organized to and from Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province to boost the region’s connectivity. China Railway Beijing Group, the regional railway operator, has been running faster passenger trains between Beijing and Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei, since December 26. According to the new schedule, there will be 20 high-speed services every day, reducing travel time between the two cities to an hour.
Transport capacity will be increased following the schedule adjustment. A new line connecting Chengdu and Kunming, capitals of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, opened on December 26, cutting travel time between the two cities to 7.5 hours. It also slashed travel time between Chengdu and two other major cities along the way – Xichang and Panzhihua – to 3 and 5 hours. The 915-km line, with a designed speed of 160 km per hour, is the second route linking Chengdu and Kunming. The old Chengdu-Kunming Railway, which extends 1,096 kilometers, opened in 1970 with a designed speed of 80 km/h. Also on December 26, a 91-km high-speed line linking Changde and Yiyang in Hunan province, entered service. It links to another line between Yiyang and Changsha, capital of Hunan. With a designed speed of 350 km/h, the new line has slashed travel time between Changde and Changsha to 59 minutes and is part of a major line connecting the city of Chongqing with Xiamen in Fujian province. A line linking Jiamusi and Hegang in Heilongjiang province also entered operations, slashing travel time between the two cities to 44 minutes, and as a result travel between Hegang and Harbin, the provincial capital, has also been cut to about 3.5 hours, the China Daily reports.
During the Lunar New Year, maximum passenger capacity across the national network will be 11% higher compared to the same period in 2019, the last travel rush before the Covid-19 epidemic, the railway company said.
