Classes of Service - Rail Transport in China Classes of ServiceClasses of Service - Rail Transport in China Classes of ServicePassenger trains are identified by their class of service (usually indicated by letter prefix for faster trains) followed by three to four numerals indicating the bureau and region of operation. The syllables in bold will be used in broadcasting in train stations, for example, C1234 will be pronounced as cheng-1234. Trains starting with G, C, D are run by CRH EMUs and form the high-/higher-speed network in China, while other trains are locomotive-hauled conventional trains. Class Description
Regular Fast
The newer high-speed train service (Classes G, C and D) that use electrical multiple units have the following types of cars:
The following types of cars are found on traditional, non-high-speed trains:
Holidays on the Rail Transport in China Demand for tickets increases dramatically during the Chinese New Year and the two Golden Week holiday in early May and October, as many migrant workers and students return home and travelers go on vacation. The Golden Weeks are holidays organized May Day (May 1) and National Day (October 1). Chinese New Year also called the Spring Festival, follows the lunar calendar and is in January or February. In 2009, the duration of the May holidays was shortened from one week to a long weekend, but holiday traffic remained strong, setting a one-day record of 6.54 million passengers carried over the Chinese rail network on May 1, 2009. The month-long period before, during and after the Chinese New Year is known as Chunyun or "spring transport" for the China's railways. During this period, train service increases to meet the demand from one of the largest annual human migrations in the world. Since railway transport is the cheapest method for long-distance travellers in China, the railway is the most important transport method during the Chunyun period. For example, during the 40 days of the 2007 Chunyun period, it is estimated that 156 million passengers rode trains, which corresponds to 3.9 million passengers per day, compared to the overall average of 2.4 million per day. To make the situation even worse, traffic is highly imbalanced: before the Chinese New Year, passengers mainly travel from the large cities and after the holiday, the traffic reverses. Although hundreds of temporary trains are operated, train tickets are still in short supply. Trains are very crowded during this period, for example, a passenger car with 118 seats may accommodate more than 200 people. China Freight Transport - Rail Transport in China Freight Transport Freight trains in China are primarily used to ship bulk cargo. The important cargo is coal, which accounts for more than half of total rail freight tonnage. In 2013, 2.322 billion tonnes of coal were shipped on trains in China, about 58% of the total rail freight tonnage of 3.967 billion. Another one-fifth of rail freight was devoted to ores and minerals, which were 851 million tonnes (21.5%) in 2013. Other major categories of bulk goods include grain (110 million tonnes, 2.77% in 2013) and fertilizer (87 million tonnes, 2.19% in 2013). Container cargo constitutes a small but growing fraction of about 5% of the total rail traffic. Despite impressive passenger statistics, freight rail modeshare in China trails other countries like USA, where some 40% of all tonnage is shipped by rail, according to US Federal Railroad Administration or Switzerland where a similar share of ton kilometers of freight is carried by rail. In China, that number is only 8% as of 2016 and 77% for highways out of 43 billion tonnes, but the share of railways is expected to increase due to new environmental regulations in regards to air pollution, which is expected to force millions of trucks off roadways. Nearly all rail freight in China is used for domestic shipping. International rail cargo totaled 58 million tonnes in 2013, about 1.46% of overall freight tonnage. The four largest rail ports of entry, Manzhouli, Suifenhe, Erenhot, Alashankou and accounted 56 million tonnes or 96.5% of the total. Cities in the Chinese interior have opened international rail freight routes to promote trade. In 2011, Chongqing began freight service to Duisburg, Germany, via Kazakhstan, Russia and Poland. The route shortened shipping time from five weeks by sea to about two weeks, and costs 80% less than air cargo. China Military Transport - Rail Transport in China Military Transport The People's Liberation Army (PLA) uses the railway system to transport personnel, supplies, conventional and strategic arms. The military used to play a more prominent role in railway development and management. The PLA's Railway Construction Corps, which in the 1950-1970s built many of the railroads in the Southwest, became a civilian company in 1984 and is now China Railway Construction Corporation. For a time during the Cultural Revolution, the entire Railway Ministry was placed under the PLA's command. China Rolling Stock - Rail Transport in China Rolling Stock As of 2013, China's rail inventory included 21,100 locomotives, a net increase of 261 from the year before. Electric locomotives were 55.0% of the total, with diesel locomotives accounting nearly all of the remainder. In 2011, there were 19,431 locomotives owned by the national railway system. Another 352 locomotives are owned by local railroads and 604 operated by joint-venture railways. The inventory in recent times included some 100 steam locomotives, but the last such locomotive, built in 1999, is now in service as a tourist attraction while the others have been retired from commercial service. Among the most common types of Chinese locomotives are the DF (Dongfeng or "East Wind") diesel series, the SS (Shaoshan) electric series, and the HX (Hexie or "Harmony") series. In the first decade of the 21st century, China began to import and produce AC/DC-AC transmission electric locomotives, the most numerous of these are the HXD series "Harmony" locomotives for freight loads. Most modern trains, for example for the China Railway High-Speed service, are either imported or produced in China using technology transfer agreements. In 2013, there were 60,600 passenger cars, 85.9% of which were air conditioned. The Harmony Express electrical multiple units totaled 1,411 sets and 13,696 cars. Freight cars totaled 710,100. In 2011, there were 52,130 passenger coaches and 622,284 freight cars. China High Speed Rolling Stock
Major Operators: China State Railway Group Company, Limited Ridership: 3.660 billion passenger trips Passenger km: 1,470.66 billion passenger-kilometres Freight: 4.389 billion tonnes China System Length Total: 146,000 km (91,000 mi)[a] Double Track: 83,000 km (52,000 mi) Electrified: 100,000 km (62,000 mi) High-Speed: 35,000 km (22,000 mi) China Track Gauge China Rail Transport Main Track: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1/2 in) China Rail Transport High-Speed Track: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1/2 in) 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1/2 in) standard gauge 79,685 kilometres (49,514 mi) (1998) 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3/8 in) metre gauge 466 kilometres (290 mi) 750 mm (2 ft 5+1/2 in) 3,600 kilometres (2,200 mi) (1998 est.) China's Track Features China Rail Transport Number of Tunnels: 16,084 (2019) China Rail Transport Tunnel Length: 18,041 kilometres (11,210 mi) (2019) China Rail Transport Longest Tunnel: Songshanhu Tunnel 38.813 kilometres (24.117 mi) China Rail Transport Number of Bridges: 47,524 (2008) China Rail Transport Longest Bridge: Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge 164.8 kilometres (102.4 mi) China Rail Transport Number of Train Stations: 5,470 (2008) China Rail Transport Highest Elevation: 5,072 metres (16,640 ft) at Tanggula Pass Notes [a] ^ There is a significant discrepancy in the total length of China's railways reported by China Statistical Yearbook (120,970 km (75,170 mi) at year end 2015) and the CIA Factbook (191,270 km (118,850 mi) in 2014). The CIA Factbook figure is based on "the total length of the railway network and of its component parts." The Statistical Yearbook figure includes "the total length of the trunk line for passenger and freight transportation in full operation or temporary operation" and measures the actual route distance between the midpoints of railway stations. Any double-tracked route or route with a return track of shorter distance is counted using the length of the original route. The length of any return tracks, other tracks within stations, maintenance and service tracks (such as those used to turn trains around), tracks of fork lines, special purpose lines and non-revenue connecting lines are excluded. The Statistical Yearbook provides cross-year and cross-regional breakdowns of railway length and its figures are presented in China railway articles. More on China Trains: Rail Transport in China More on China Trains: China Track Network - China Train Track Length More on China Trains: China Mainline Corridors - Sixteen Major Rail Corridors More on China Trains: China Train Stations - Rail Transport in China Train Stations More on China Trains: Classes of Service - Rail Transport in China Classes of Service More on China Trains: Rail Transport in China International Links More on China Trains: At the beginning of the 21st century China had no high-speed railways More on China Trains: China High-Speed Railway ''Eight Vertical Lines and Eight Horizontal Lines'' | |||||
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