China High Speed Railway Network
China has world’s largest high speed railway network as long as 45,000 km (27,960 mi) and capable of accommodating high speed trains running at 250 - 350 km/h (186 - 217 mph).
The present high speed railway network mainly consists of four north-south and four east-west trunk railways.
According to the long-term plan, the network will be extended to eight north-south and eight east-west high speed lines by 2030, with a total length of over 50,000 km (31,070 mi).
Line | Open Date | Length (km) | Designed Speed (km/h) |
---|---|---|---|
Eight North - South High Speed Rail Lines | |||
Coastal Passageway | --- | 4,900 | --- |
Qingdao-Rongcheng | 2016/11/16 | 300 | 250 |
Shanghai-Suzhou-Nantong | 2020/7/1 | 143 | 200 |
Beijing-Shanghai Passageway | --- | 1,318 | --- |
Beijing-Shanghai | 2011/06/30 | 1,318 | 350 |
Hefei-Hangzhou | 2022/9/22 | 309 | 350 |
Nanjing-Hangzhou | 2013/07/01 | 256 | 350 |
Beijing-Hong Kong Passageway | --- | 2,698 | --- |
Beijing-Hong Kong | 2019/12/01 | 236,0 | 350 |
Hefei-Taipei | 2025 | 250 | 350 |
Harbin-Hong Kong Passageway | --- | 3,389 | --- |
Beijing-Harbin | 2021/1/22 | 1,198 | 350 |
Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong | 2018/9/23 | 141 | 350 |
Hohhot–Nanning Passageway | --- | 2,300 | |
Hohhot-Nanning | 2013/12/03 | 2,100 | 350 |
Beijing–Kunming Passageway | --- | 2,760 | --- |
Beijing-Kunming | 2026 | 2,760 | 350 |
Beijing-Taiyuan | 201/12/26 | 506 | 350 |
Baotou (Yinchuan)–Hainan Passageway | --- | 2,300 | --- |
Baotou - Haikou | 2022/12 | 2,300 | 350 |
Yinchuan - Xi’an | 2020/12/26 | 617 | 250 |
Lanzhou (Xining)–Guangzhou Passageway | --- | 2,216 | --- |
Lanzhou-Chengdu | 2014/08/08 | 800 | 350 |
Chengdu-Guiyang | 2019/12/16 | 648 | 250 |
Guiyang-Guangzhou | 2014/12/26 | 857 | 300 |
Eight East - West High Speed Rail Lines | |||
Suifenhe–Manzhouli Passageway | --- | 1,680 | --- |
Suifenhe–Manzhouli | 2023/12/10 | 1,479 | 100 |
Beijing–Lanzhou Passageway | --- | 1,486 | --- |
Beijing–Lanzhou | 2019/12/30 | 1,474 | 350 |
Qingdao–Yinchuan Passageway | --- | 1,530 | --- |
Qingdao–Yinchuan | 2019/1/5 | 1,530 | 350 |
Eurasia Continental Bridge Passageway | --- | 3,422 | --- |
Lianyungang to Urumqi | 2021/2/8 | 3,422 | 350 |
Yangtze River Passageway | --- | 2,100 | --- |
Shanghai-Chengdu | 2025 | 2,100 | 350 |
Nanjing-Chongqing | 2014/12/10 | 1,396 | 350 |
Wanzhou-Chengdu | 2025 | 477 | 350 |
Shanghai-Kunming Passageway | --- | 2,730 | --- |
Shanghai-Kunming | 2016/12/28 | 2,252 | 300 |
Xiamen–Chongqing Passageway | --- | 1,473 | --- |
Xiamen–Chongqing | 2019/12/26 | 1,473 | 350 |
Guangzhou–Kunming Passageway | --- | 1,386 | --- |
Guangzhou-Kunming | 2012/9/28 | 1,386 | 250 |
North - South Lines
Map of China High Speed Railway Network |
Length: 819 miles (about 1,318 kilometers)
Major stations: Beijing South, Tianjin South, Jinan West, Xuzhou East, Nanjing South, Shanghai Hongqiao
Duration: 5 - 6 hours
Route description: This is one of the busiest lines in China's high speed railway network. By June 30, 2017, the 6th anniversary of operation, this line has served 630 million passengers. It also has two branches: Nanjing – Hangzhou Line, and Bengbu – Hefei – Hangzhou Line.
Harbin - Beijing - Hong Kong - Macau
It consists of two trunk lines, Beijing – Harbin and Beijing – Guangzhou – Shenzhen - Hong Kong, and a branch line, Guangzhou – Zhuhai – Macau.
Beijing – Harbin:Length: 808 miles (1,300 kilometers)
Major stations: Beijing Xinghuo, Chengde South, Chaoyang North, Fuxin, Shenyang, Shenyang North, Tieling West, Siping East, Changchun West, Harbin West, Dalian, Puwan, Anshan, Jilin, Shuangji, Yingkou East
Duration: 7 hours between Beijing and Harbin, 3.5 – 4.5 hours between Dalian and Harbin
Route description: Besides the main line, it also has several branches, Harbin - Dalian, Panjin - Yingkou, and Changchun - Jilin - Hunchun. The section between Beijing and Shenyang along the main line is under construction and bullet trains are currently detouring along Beijing-Tianjin-Qinhuangdao-Shenyang Line.
China High Speed Train |
Length: 88 miles (142 kilometers)Length: 1,516 miles (2,440 kilometers)
Major stations: Beijing West, Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou East, Wuhan, Changsha South, Hengyang East, Guangzhou South, Shenzhen North, Hong Kong West Kowloon
Duration: 9 hours
Route description: Reputed as “world’s longest high speed railway, the whole line has been opened on September 23, 2018.
Guangzhou – Zhuhai – Macau
Major stations: Guangzhou South, Shunde, Xiaolan, Jiangmen, Xinhui, Zhongshan, Zhuhai North, Zhuhai
Duration: 1 – 1.5 hours
Route description: This line is scheduled to be connected with the Macau Light Rail which is under construction. When finished, passengers can travel between Macau and Guangzhou more conveniently.
Guangzhou - Zhuhai High Speed Railway:
The following five lines are in the long-term plan of China high speed railway network and scheduled to be finished by 2030.
Second Class Seat |
Beijing – Hong Kong – Taipei
Travel route: Beijing – Hengshui – Heze – Shangqiu – Fuyang – Hefei (Huanggang) – Jiujiang – Nanchang – Ganzhou – Shenzhen – Hong Kong, including Hefei – Fuzhou – Taipei and Nanchang – Fuzhou (Putian) branches.
Hohhot – Nanning
Travel route: Hohhot – Datong – Taiyuan – Changzhi – Jiaozuo – Zhengzhou – Xianyang – Yiyang – Loudi - Shaoyang – Yongzhou – Guilin - Nanning
Beijing – Kunming
Travel route: Beijing – Shijiazhuang – Taiyuan – Xi'an – Chengdu (Chongqing) – Kunming, including a branch Beijing – Zhangjiakou - Datong
Baotou – Haikou
Travel route: Baotou – Yan’an – Xi'an – Chongqing – Guiyang – Nanning – Zhanjiang – Haikou – Sanya, including the branch Yinchuan - Xi'an line.
Lanzhou (Xining) – Guangzhou
Travel Route: Lanzhou (Xining) – Chengdu (Chongqing) – Guiyang – Guangzhou
East - West Lines
Suifenhe – Manzhouli
It is on the long-term plan of high speed railway network.
Travel route: Xiamen – Longyan – Ganzhou – Changsha – Changde – Zhangjiajie – Qianjiang – Chongqing
Beijing – Lanzhou
Length: 923 miles (1,486 kilometers)
Major stations: Beijing West, Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou East, Lanzhou West
Duration: 7-9 hours
Route description: It has been opened on December 30, 2019. The high speed rail connects north and northwest China, running from Beijing through Hohhot and Yinchuan to Lanzhou.
Qingdao – Yinchuan
Length: 950 miles (1,530 kilometers)
Major stations: Qingdao North, Jinan, Zhijiazhuang, Taiyuan South, Yinchuan
Duration: 10.5 hours
Route description: The high-speed rail line starts from Qingdao in the coastal province of Shandong to Yinchuan in Ningxia.
Eurasia Continental Bridge Passageway
Eurasia Continental Bridge Passageway, a high-speed rail connects Lianyungang in Jiangsu Province to Urumqi in Xinjiang Province. The route passes through the cities of Xuzhou, Zhengzhou, Xi'an, Lanzhou, and Xining.
Yangtze River Passageway
Yangtze River Passageway, a high-speed rail that will run in an east-west direction largely parallel to the Yangtze River, connecting the cities of Shanghai, Nanjing, Hefei, Wuhan, Chongqing and Chengdu.
Passengers on Bullet Train Platform |
Length: 1,408 miles (2,266 kilometers)
Major stations: Shanghai Hongqiao, Hangzhou East, Yiwu, Jinhua, Nanchang West, Changsha South, Shaoshan South, Huaihua South, Guiyang North, Anshun, Qujing, Kunming South
Duration: 10.5-12 hours
Route description: Running from China’s east coastal area to the southwest, this line passes by many different landscapes and is one of China’s most beautiful high speed lines. In addition, the Kunming – Thailand High Speed Line via Laos is under construction. When finished, it will connect the high speed railway network of China with southeast Asia.
Xiamen–Chongqing
Length: 915 miles (1,473 kilometers)
Major stations: Xiamen, Longyan, Ganzhou, Changsha, Changde, Zhangjiajie, Chongqing
Duration: 12.5 – 15 hours
Route description: It connects the west coast of the Taiwan Straits, South-central and south-western regions in China, stretching from Xiamen to Chongqing, passing through cities of Longyan, Ganzhou, Changsha, Changde, Zhangjiajie and Qianjiang.
Train Cabin |
Guangzhou – Kunming
Length: 861 miles (1,386 kilometers)
Major stations: Guangzhou South, Zhaoqing East, Nanning East, Baise, Puzhehei, Mile, Kunming South
Duration: 9 hours
Route description: The section has been fully opened on December 26th, 2016. As the Nanning - Guangzhou High Speed Railway is crowded, another parallel line will be built by 2030 to accommodate more high speed trains.
The below three lines are also on the long-term plan of high speed railway network.
Further Reading:
China Railway Network
8 Most Scenic Train Rides in China
- Ticket Types
- Business Class Seat
- First Class vs. Second Class
- High Speed Sleepers
- Facilities
- High Speed Railway Network
- Intercity High Speed Trains
- Maps
- Beijing - Shanghai
- Beijing - Guangzhou
- Beijing - Tianjin
- Beijing - Xi'an
- Beijing - Harbin
- Beijing - Fuzhou
- Beijing - Pingyao
- Beijing - Zhangjiakou
- Shanghai - Chengdu
- Shanghai - Guangzhou
- Shanghai - Hangzhou
- Shanghai - Hong Kong
- Shanghai - Suzhou
- Shanghai - Nanjing
- Shanghai - Kunming
- Xi'an - Chengdu
- Xi'an - Lanzhou
- Xi'an - Luoyang
- Xi'an - Shanghai
- Guangzhou - Zhuhai
- Hong Kong - Beijing
- Wuhan - Guangzhou
- Nanning - Guangzhou
- Guiyang - Kunming
- Guangzhou - Shenzhen
- Guangzhou - Hong Kong
- Guangzhou - Guilin
- Shenzhen - Guilin
- Shenzhen - Xiamen
- Harbin - Dalian
- Haikou - Sanya
- Lanzhou - Xinjiang
- Chengdu-Leshan-Emeishan
- Chongqing - Guiyang
- Guilin - Yangshuo
- Hangzhou - Huangshan
- Jinan - Qingdao
- Kunming - Dali
- Pingyao - Xi'an
- Zhangjiakou – Hohhot
- Zhengzhou - Xi'an
- Chengdu-Dujiangyan-Qingchengshan