Intercity High Speed Trains

Intercity High Speed Trains are inter-city trains running between adjacent areas/cities. Some big cities also have C trains running between the central railway station and the airport. By May 2018, more than 260 railway stations had passed by Intercity High Speed Trains. It allows passengers to travel from big cities to nearby destinations in a short time, which saves energy and money.

Speed of Intercity High Speed Trains

There are three specifications (grades) for the design speed of infrastructure of China’s intercity high-speed railway, which are 250 km/h, 300 km/h and 350 km/h (380 km/h).

• 350km/h: Beijing-Tianjin railway, Shanghai-Hangzhou railway, Guangzhou-Shenzhen (Hong Kong) railway and so on, mostly found in mega-cities (first-tier cities) group.
• 300km/h: There are fewer intercity high-speed railway lines of this speed level, and there is little difference between the intercity high-speed railway with 350km/h speed standard, such as Beijing-Shijiazhuang intercity railway.
• 250 km/h: Guangzhou-Zhuhai and Nanchang-Jiujiang Railways are affected by the policy of railway speed reduction. The maximum operating speed of trains on these lines is 200 km/h, which leads to the fact that the actual running speed of these intercity high-speed trains and intercity express trains are identical.

The state railway administration approved the publication of the railway industry standard “design specification for intercity railway” (TB 10623-2014), which came into effect on March 1, 2015. According to it, inter-city railway refers to the fast, convenient and high-density passenger railway specially serving adjacent cities or urban clusters, with the designed passenger train speed of 200 km/h or less. Therefore, the former intercity high-speed railway will be included in the scope of regional railway.

C Trains – High Speed Trains

Passengers should distinguish between C train and intercity train. Most C trains run on intercity railways. C train is an intercity train, but not all intercity trains start with the letter “C”. Some D trains and G trains are inter-city trains too. 

After the Beijing-Tianjin inter-city railway opened for business, the number of the inter-city high-speed train appears, so this kind of inter-city high-speed train is called C train. In addition, the C train has nothing to do with the speed. The C train between Beijing and Tianjin has a speed of 310km/h, while the one between Guangzhou and Shenzhen has a speed of 190km/h.

Main High-speed Intercity Railways in China

At present, there are seven high-speed Intercity lines in China, with up to 21 planned. 

Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway

Beijing-Tianjin intercity high-speed railway is China’s first intercity high-speed railway. After it was opened on August 1, 2008, all the original Beijing-Tianjin high-speed trains at Beijing stations were cancelled, replaced by inter-city trains from Beijing south to Tianjin. The journey lasts for 29-31 minutes and has a top speed of 350 km/h. Tickets cost 58 yuan and 69 yuan respectively.

Nanchang-Jiujiang Intercity Railway

The first intercity railway in Jiangxi province – Nanchang-Jiujiang intercity railway was officially started construction on June 28, 2007. Officially opened on September 20, 2010, it has become a major means of transportation for the public since it opened to traffic.

Shanghai-Nanjing Intercity Railway

Shanghai-Nanjing intercity railway is a high-speed railway building a link between Shanghai and Nanjing. Construction began in July 2008 and at 8 am on July 1, 2010, Shanghai Hongqiao railway station and Nanjing railway station set off the first high-speed train at the same time. It is the world’s highest standard, longest mileage and fastest operating inter-city high-speed railway.

Changchun-Jilin Intercity Railway

This is the first high-speed railway in China to be built in the cold region and also the first high-speed railway line in northeast China, connecting Changchun city and Jilin city. The construction of this intercity railway started in 2007, and it was opened on December 30, 2010, and officially started the passenger service on January 11, 2011.

Shanghai-Hangzhou Intercity Railway

Shanghai-Hangzhou Intercity High-speed Railway, which connects Shanghai and Hangzhou, is an integral part of Shanghai-Kunming Passenger Line in China’s “four vertical and four horizontal”network. Construction began on February 26, 2009, and was officially opened to traffic on October 26, 2010.

Guangzhou-Zhuhai Intercity Railway

The main line of Guangzhou-Zhuhai Intercity Railway connects Guangzhou South Railway Station and Zhuhai Railway Station. It is 116 kilometers long and has been opened to traffic by the end of 2012. Besides, the total length of Zhuhai-Changlong and Changlong-Zhuhai Airport under construction and proposed construction is 34.5 kilometers.

Guiyang-Kaiyang Intercity Railway

Guiyang-Kaiyang Intercity Railway is an inter-city passenger line from Guiyang City to Kaiyang County, with a total length of 62 kilometers. It was officially opened on May 1, 2015.

Travel by Intercity High Speed Trains

Traveling to two destinations over short distances by Intercity High Speed Trains is a way to save time and money. When you want to visit some scenic spots near the big cities, such as Leshan giant Buddha and Dujiangyan Panda Base near Chengdu, the West Lake near Shanghai, you can select the quick and convenient high-speed train as a traffic way. Below are some suggested travel packages with Intercity High Speed Trains.

2 Days Chengdu and Leshan Tour

6 Days Nanjing Suzhou Hangzhou Shanghai Tour

7 Days Shanghai-Hangzhou and Mount Huangshan Tour 

See more China Speed Train Tours.