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Fourth Train Speed-up to Start On This Sunday
The Ministry of Railways announced yesterday that the fourth nationwide railway speed-up will be launched after midnight on Sunday.
The ministry issued new railway operation timetables to passengers this week, and all trains will begin following the new operating schedule on Sunday, according to today's Chinadaily.
Passengers will not have to pay extra for the speed-up, and ticket prices for most passenger trains will remain unchanged.
"Except for some higher standard trains, most ticket prices will remain the same," said Liu Zhijun, vice-minister of railways.
He said the newly renovated high-speed railways, which run now at speeds between 120 and 160 kilometres an hour, cover 4,434 kilometres, bringing the total of China's high-speed railways to 13,000 kilometres.
China now has some 70,000 kilometres of railways.
Under the new operating schedule, passengers can travel from Beijing to Guangzhou and Shenzhen in South China within 24 hours, cutting several hours less than before.
Most cities in East and Central China will be linked with faster railway networks after this speed-up, and cities less than 1,500 kilometres away from each other could be connected with just one-night trip.
Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality, the two most populous regions in western China, will also benefit from the speed-up. Trains travelling between the two regions and Central and South China will see hours reduced in their trips.
Liu is confident that this speed-up will help the railway sector compete against road and air transport.
Liu indicated that the railway sector managed to earn a record income in the first nine months of this year, and the speed-up is expected to further the positive trend.
In the 10th Five-Year Plan period (2001-05), the ministry plans to carry out two other speed-ups in 2003 and 2005, with an emphasis on the western parts of China.
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