High-speed Trains Launched in Yunnan and Shandong
High-speed Trains Launched in Yunnan
According to the China Railway Corp, a new high-speed railway linking several famous tourist attractions in Yunnan province is about to open in 5, January, 2019.
The new line will connect places like Lijiang and Dali, as well as three parallel river areas that are all UNESCO world heritage sites.
The new line, with 10 stations, will cut travel time from the provincial capital Kunming to Lijiang, from more than eight hours to three hours. This will be the first time Lijiang has opened a high-speed railway.
“This route will provide tourists with new choices and travel agencies will be able to offer more tailor-made services,” said Liu Qingyuan, deputy general manager of Lijiang Association Holiday Travel Agency.
Zhang yu, a local tour guide, said the new route would boost tourism in the region by bringing more tourists to Lijiang.
“At the same time, local residents will be more connected with the surrounding major cities,” Zhang said.
The new line will also connect Dali to Lijiang, another tourist destination in the province, reducing travel time to less than an hour.
The new line in Yunnan is just one of 10 routes recently opened－or soon to be－by CRC. The company also plans to adjust train operating times nationwide beginning Jan 5 in preparation for the Spring Festival travel rush.
High-speed Trains Launched in Shandong
Route 1:
On 26, December 2018, two new high-speed railway lines began operating in Shandong province.
One route links the provincial capital of Jinan with the port city of Qingdao, “which reduces travel time to around 90 minutes from well over two hours before”, said Liu Qing, deputy director of Qingdao Railway Station, adding that passengers from Qingdao and Beijing need to travel only 3.5 hours to Jinan if they choose the fastest line, saving 52 minutes.
Liu Qing, the deputy director of Qingdao Railway Station said: “A route links to the port city of Qingdao with the provincial capital of Jinan, which can reduce travel time to about 90 minutes from over two hours before, and passengers from Qingdao and Beijing only need 3.5 hours to travel to Jinan, saving 52 minutes if they choose the fastest route.”
The 307 km high-speed rail line has 11 stations.
Route 2:
The other new line connects major cities in Shandong and Jiangsu.
The deputy director said: ” After the completion of the line between Shanghai and Lianyungang(Jiangsu province), it will run to Shanghai in the future.”
It is estimated that the travel time between Shanghai and Qingdao will be reduced from the current seven hours to four hours within two years.
The line will also provide freight services to major ports along the route, such as Qingdao, Rizhao and Lianyungang, according to Qingdao railway station.
A high-speed rail links Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, and Huangshan, opened on 25, December 2018, while another began to connect cities in China’s northernmost Heilongjiang province.
