Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway handles 1.69 bln passenger trips in 10 yrs

A bullet train stops at the platform of Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 26, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1.69 billion passenger trips have been made on the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway since it went into operation 10 years ago, official data showed.

Thanks to the existence of this railway, travel time between the capital Beijing and the southern economic hub Guangzhou has been slashed from over 40 hours to about eight hours.

As the backbone of the high-speed rail network in China, the 2,298-km Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway is closely connected with 12 other high-speed railways in the country.

In June this year, the Beijing-Wuhan section of the railway raised its speed from 310 km/h to 350 km/h, reducing the shortest trip between Beijing and Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, by about half an hour to three hours and 48 minutes.

At present, China boasts some 3,200 km of high-speed railways with an operating speed of 350 km/h, on lines such as the Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Railway, the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway, and the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway.

A stewardess guides a passenger to board a bullet train at Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 26, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 26, 2022 shows a bullet train departing from Wuhan Railway Station in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 26, 2022 shows a bullet train departing from Shijiazhuang Railway Station in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao)

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 26, 2022 shows Shijiazhuang Railway Station in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao)

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 26, 2022 shows a bullet train departing from Wuhan Railway Station in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

Passengers are seen on a bullet train at Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 26, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 26, 2022 shows Wuhan Railway Station in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 26, 2022 shows Wuhan Railway Station in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)