A high-speed train heads to Ulanqab from Hohhot in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region in August, marking the opening of the region’s first high-speed railway.[Photo/China Daily]
Passengers can now reach most of China’s major cities by bullet train, thanks to a network that includes linkages of a number of rail routes, as well as efficient major transfer hubs.
According to China Railway Corp, the national rail operator, direct high-speed train services have been arranged between cities with a large number of passengers, including Beijing-Kunming, Harbin-Shanghai and Chengdu-Guangzhou. Those direct services link big cities in different regions by taking more than one rail route.
Service between Dalian, Liaoning province, and Xi’an, Shaanxi province, involves eight high-speed rail routes that link 18 medium-size and large cities.
Running the network is no easy task. A high-speed rail route must not only carry out bullet train services running only on a single line but also on multiple lines.
The major transfer hub design allows easy transfers to other bullet trains. Passengers can make travel plans and buy connected tickets in advance. When they arrive at the transfer station, they can use a transfer gateway to board the next service, with no need to exit the gate and enter again. The major transfer hub design offsets the lack of direct service in some areas, providing more convenient travel choices.
Lanzhou West station, the major transfer hub linking the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region with the rest of China, is expected to receive more than 5,000 transfer passengers a day, said Wang Jian, the deputy head of the station. The Baoji-Lanzhou rail route opened in July, and Wang estimates daily passengers will reach 25,000. The route links Lanzhou with the high-speed rail network.
No direct service links Xinjiang with most cities beyond Lanzhou. A passenger from Beijing can take a direct service to Lanzhou and then transfer at Lanzhou West station to Xinjiang.