China to Open 3,000 to 4,000 Special Tourism Trains

It is learnt from the national planning conference on special tourism trains which was concluded on April 13, the Ministry of Railways will open 3,000 to 4,000 special tourism trains this year and the running speed and service quality will also be greatly improved.

At present, the Ministry of Railways has, on the basis of solicitation of opinions and full feasibility studies, defined 26 railway lines for special tourism trains in eight directions, including the north-east and Silk Road directions for the option of railway bureaus. These lines are accessible to a number of scenic areas such as Emei Mountain, Turpan, Zhangjiajie and Huangshan Mountain.

Some railway bureaus have reportedly tried to open special tour trains since 1997. The Ministry of Railways began to explore tourist transportation market in 1999 and laid 11 operational lines leading from eight directions to Yunnan's Kunming City in support of the China '99 Kunming International Horticultural Exposition. Last year, the Ministry of Railways dispatched 734 temporary through trains for tourists to Kunming and 198 special tour through trains and transported 5.32 million passengers, achieving good economic and social effects.

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