Photo courtesy to Xinhua 

Any clue to “trackless high-speed rail station?”

China is creating an integrated “express bus + high-speed rail” rail network in mountainous areas to eliminate poverty and boost local tourism.

Unlike regular high-speed stations around the country, these trackless ones are being built in China’s mountainous terrains in order to provide locals with express bus services to the nearest high-speed rail stations.

China’s first trackless high-speed rail station opened in Lingyun County, Baise, in southern China’s #Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in December 2016. A total of 30 shuttle buses take passengers directly to the Baise high-speed railway station.

Before, it took locals in Lingyun six hours to travel to Nanning, the regional capital of Guangxi, and 10 hours to Guangzhou, the provincial capital of neighboring Guangdong Province, where over 400,000 migrant workers from the poverty-stricken county work. The newly-opened station cuts the travel time to two hours and 3.6 hours, respectively.

Meanwhile, the updated railway network is also attracting tourists and investors to the mountainous areas. Conversely, local specialties are able to seek outside markets, which also bolsters the local economy.

Photo courtesy to Xinhua

Given the travel rush in big cities, especially during the Spring Festival holiday season, express stations can increase the capacity of high-speed railway stations and help relieve pressure on mainstream public transportation. Also, people will be more likely to choose public transportation as a means of transportation, which will help protect the local environment.

To date, Guangxi has built 14 express stations in 11 counties, benefiting more than 7.7 million local residents.

In addition, China’s northeastern province of Heilongjiang is quickly establishing a similar system to empower local high-speed rail networks in Jixi, Hegang, and Shuangyashan.