Image copyright Getty Images Image caption This type of transportation should be a middle link between expensive air transportation and cheap sea transportation.
China has started direct freight rail transport to Britain.
From the city of Yiwu in eastern China, the first train left, carrying a batch of clothes, bags and other consumer goods.
It is expected that in 18 days the train will cover a distance of 12 thousand kilometers and arrive in the London district of Barking.
On the way, the train will cross the territories of Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France.
AT last years China has expanded its rail transportation to European countries as part of the multibillion-dollar state-run New Silk Road project.
Great Britain has already become the 18th European country, with which the PRC has established direct rail links.
And London will be 15th European capital, where regular freight trains from China run.
Priority - railways
As part of the strategy economic development Xi Jinping's government has staked on the railways. This type of cargo delivery, according to the Chinese authorities, should become a middle link between cheap but slow delivery by sea and fast, but expensive aviation.
By June 2016, 1881 trains had come from China to Europe, while the cargo flow is also carried out in reverse direction. 502 left Europe for China freight trains, from Germany they brought meat products, from France - wine, and from Russia - timber.
According to the China Railway Corporation, new route strengthen ties between China and Western Europe and improve Sino-British trade relations.
In 2015, Chinese exports totaled $2.27 trillion, down from $2.34 trillion in 2014, and economic growth over the same period was the lowest in 25 years.
Not surprisingly, the Chinese authorities have high hopes for the New Silk Road project, designed to promote trade and economic growth.
Railway communication in China is one of the priority modes of transport for both short and long distances. The road infrastructure is very developed and has high quality. It took many years and finances to build and improve it. The railway from China has connections with transport systems Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, North Korea.
Railroad history
In various historical periods The construction of railways in China was carried out in different ways. In 1876, the first line was laid, which connected Shanghai with Wusun.
In 1881, it was decided to build a ten-kilometer road from the Zitang Shanquan area to the Suige settlement. In the period from 1876 to 1911, the country was building roads, the length of which was 9100 km. In 1912, the first concept of building a railway was proposed. By 1949, the length of the canvas in the country had reached 26,200 km.
In Old China, construction was carried out at a slow pace, in small quantities and with poor quality. Cloths were laid mainly along the coast. There were no railways in the southwest and northwest of the country. The paths were divided into sections and controlled by different institutions.
Under New China, the Ministry of Railways appeared, in whose department all railway communications. A program of work was created for the construction and restoration of roads and bridges. China was developing, the railway had grown by 1996, and its length reached 64,900 km. Stations were built and restored, the production of diesel locomotives, electric locomotives, and passenger cars increased.
By 2013, the length of railway lines was 103,144 km. As a result of the transformation, increased throughput and train speed. The volume of freight and passenger traffic has increased, and the density of train traffic has increased.
By 2020, it is planned to build more than 120,000 km of tracks in the state. A railway from China is being built towards Khabarovsk. In addition, a project is being developed that will connect the Chinese South Xinjiang line with Kyrgyzstan.
Railroad map
Now the railway infrastructure of China is one of the most developed. The length of the roads in the country today is more than 110,000 km. great attention given to development railway construction in port areas and to the west, deep into the continental part.
The population in the PRC is unevenly distributed, and highest density China's railway scheme has in the southwest and east of the country. To cover the entire territory of the Republic, the network of roads is expanding, new technologies are being introduced.
Train classification
In China, the train number is indicated capital letter and numbers. The letter indicates the category of the train. The train category is affected by speed, service, number of stops.
- Train type "G" - high-speed, can reach speeds of up to 350 km / h.
- The D-type train is a high-speed train, its speed is more than 200 km/h, it stops only at the main stations along the way. The trains include carriages of the first, second class, there are sleeping places.
- Train type "Z" - travels without stops, the speed develops 160 km / h, stops at major stations. As a rule, this is a night train, it consists of reserved seats and compartments.
- Train type "T" - express, its speed reaches 140 km / h, stops at big cities and transport stations. The train has seating, reserved seat and compartment carriages.
- Train type "K" - develops a speed of 120 km / h, stops both in large cities and in villages. It has seating cars and reserved seats.
- Trains without a letter - No Prefix, these include old trains with a very low speed.
Classes on trains
Cars in Chinese trains can be divided into 4 types (classes).
- Soft sleeping is a double or four-seater compartment.
- The hard sleeper is a compartment with six shelves.
- Soft sitting.
- Hard seated.
In trains of type "D" there is the concept of "seat of the first and second class", their difference lies in the comfort of the seats.
high speed trains
China, in order to continue to develop dynamically, needs to move quickly and conveniently. For this, the government of the country is doing everything possible. One of China's largest infrastructure projects is the construction of a high-speed rail network. It has a wide scope large area country and is one of the most grandiose in the world. Also, the impetus for the construction of such lines was the Olympics in 2007.
Basically, high-speed railways in China are built on overpasses - they are in the form of bridges hundreds of kilometers long. The average train speed is 200 km/h. The length of such routes in China at the end of 2013 amounted to 15,400 km. There are sections on the railway where the train can develop up to 350 km / h.
In China, there is the following classification of lines by speed:
- Normal (100-120 km / h).
- Medium speed (120-160 km/h).
- High-speed (160-200 km / h).
- High-speed (200-400 km/h).
- Ultra-high-speed (more than 400 km/h).
Alpine lines
Construction of the high-mountain railway in China began in 1984. At first, an easy section was mastered, and since 2001, they began to develop a difficult segment. In the summer of 2006, the highest mountain railway in the world, the Qinghai-Tibet, was opened. It connects China with Tibet, its length is 1956 km. A 1142 km long section of the path passes through the mountains. About 550 km of the railway line is laid in the alpine tundra zone, the highest mark of the road reaches 5072 meters above sea level.
Passengers during the trip do not suffer from symptoms of altitude sickness, as the carriages are sealed, and the air in the carriages is enriched with oxygen, there is protection from solar radiation.
In the alpine tundra zone, the train moves at a speed of 100 km/h; on the remaining sections of the track, the train moves at a speed of 120 km/h.
The railway from China to Tibet provides stable communication between the states. Ease and quick access ensured its popularity not only for residents of these countries, but also for tourists.
Railways on Hainan Island
China's high-speed railways are developed not only on the mainland, but also on the islands. Their construction on the island of Hainan is interesting and unique. The railway on this piece of land is a ring, which is conditionally divided into western and eastern halves. The length of the ring is 308 km. Its construction in the western part of the island took place in difficult period Second World War. It was built piecemeal. The work was finally completed in 2004. In 2006-2007, it underwent modernization, and now it serves trains with a speed capacity of 120-160 km/h. In 2007, the connection of the island's railway with the mainland using a ferry appears.
The construction of the line in the eastern part of the island began at the end of 2007, ended in 2010, and in the same year the second part of the ring was put into operation.
Features of Chinese Railways
In China, there is a special regime for admission to the platform. You can get to the train only at the time of its delivery. At the stations that he passes without stopping, only employees of the station can be observed.
China is weak transport connection with neighboring states. Despite the fact that there is a through route and functioning infrastructure, the railway from China is closed, and the border has to be crossed on foot.
Buying a train ticket also has its own characteristics. All tickets in China are sold only with identification documents. A guest of the country can purchase a ticket only at the box office. When buying through a machine, a Chinese ID card is required.
There are practically no suburban transportation in the country.
Railway stations in cities
Chinese railway stations have a typical architecture and are similar to each other. The only exceptions are old platforms in small villages or cities with a historical past.
New stations are mainly built on the outskirts settlements. Existing railways moved from the center, old buildings are demolished or reconstructed. Chinese train stations can be compared to airports - they are large-scale, equipped with infrastructure and have many levels.
In China, it is impossible to get to the train station without a ticket, only to some very limited sectors. But at old stations, you can get on the platform before boarding; for this, you need to purchase a special ticket at the box office. It gives the right to be on the platform, but not to board the train.
Russia-China
The laying of paths in China is historically connected with Russia. In 1897, the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER) began, which is the southern branch. In the period from 1917 to 1950, as a result of military and political actions, it was transferred to China and ceased to exist. It happened in 1952. Instead, the Chinese Changchun Railway appeared on the world map.
In the near future, the China-Russia railway will gain popularity. A project is being developed for the Eurasian High-Speed Transport Corridor, which will connect Beijing with Moscow. The paths will pass through the territory of Kazakhstan, the travel time on them will take two days.
In our opinion, the train is the best remedy movement in China. It's clean and pleasant for the most part. They go every day, for a very rare exception. It is quite comfortable to be at the stations, and the employees of the railway are neatly dressed and friendly, however, like all Chinese. In addition, the train great way get to know the country from the inside, just looking out the window at the passing landscapes, or talking to people. We were amazed at the sociability of the Chinese! Chinese trains are different types, seats can also be of different comfort. And now in more detail. This information will be useful to you when planning an independent trip to China.
Categories of Chinese trains
1. Type G trains — 高速 “G” Trains (High-Speed)
The fastest and fastest trains with the fewest stops, the most expensive. There are only seats here. And what's the point of doing recumbent, if it's only 5 hours to go?)) They accelerate to 350 km / h and more. For example, the distance Beijing-Shanghai such a train flies in 5 and a half hours and costs in this message from 550 yuan. Most high-speed train in the world - Shanghai Maglev, accelerated to 486 km / h!
2. Type C and D trains — 城际“C” Trains (Inter-City)动 “D” Trains
Type C train
Also very fast. They have slightly more stops and are slightly slower than Type G trains. They have both lying and sitting places. For example, the train travels the same distance Beijing-Shanghai in 8-9 hours and costs from 408 yuan.
3. Type Z trains — 直达 “Z” Trains (Direct)
Type Z train
High-speed trains connecting Beijing with others major cities countries. These trains are usually overnight and run non-stop. There are different places: seated, reserved seat, coupe. The Beijing-Xi'an distance travels in 11 hours and costs from 275 yuan.
4. Type T trains — 特快 “T” Trains (Express)
T-type train
Also regular trains. There are all types of places. Xi'an-Urumqi (2500 km) arrives in a little more than a day and costs from 280 yuan. These trains run all over the country.
5. Type K trains — 快 "K" Trains (Fast)
Type K train
Those are the ones we went to. They go a little slower than T-type trains. Usually the cars are red. There are also all types of places. Xian-Urumqi (2500 km) overcomes in a day and 10 hours and costs from 273 yuan. Late, sometimes by 10 minutes, sometimes by an hour….
6. No letter prefix — No Prefix (Common)
Trains with numbers without letter prefix
The slowest and therefore the cheapest type of train in China. But it is quite possible to go, as there is everything you need for your stay.
Types of carriages in Chinese trains
There are 4 types (classes) of wagons:
1. hard seat- an analogue of the Russian train, that is, ordinary seats. Can shake the psyche of stress-resistant people. But ... it depends on how you treat it. If you like comfort, then ride in higher class carriages. The trick is that when the seats run out, at the box office they start selling tickets without a seat, i.e. standing. Our friend took such a ticket, and he has 2 days to go! But nothing, he returned alive and well))
Schematic map of Chinese railways
And finally, a little video about the new highway connecting Beijing and Guangzhou. It's already built!
We hope this article was helpful! If you have any questions, ask, we will try to answer.
Look around China and beyond.
February 25, 2017 - ChinaPk
The Chinese rail network is by far the second largest in the world after the United States. It is also the second largest in the world in terms of passenger and freight traffic, with a peak passenger traffic of 3.03 billion in 2017. Until recently, the railways were completely controlled and operated by the state-owned China Railway Corporation (CRC). However, in an attempt to reduce its 4 trillion yuan debt, the grid was partially privatized. Despite the colossal debt, the grid is the most popular transportation system in China, and is undergoing many expansions and upgrades.
First of all, it should be noted that there are two types of railways in China - traditional, which cover more than 100,000 km, and constantly improving high-speed railway lines, which were first introduced in 2007 and proved to be a super successful project. Today, there are 19,000 km of high-speed rail, nearly double what it was just three years ago. We also cannot ignore the fact that China not only has the largest high-speed rail network in the world, but also the longest, with the Beijing-Guangzhou route covering 2,298 km. Part of the reason these trains have become so popular is their speed of 350 km/h, which gives them a great competitive edge over short to medium distances. The size of the grid is growing at an incredible rate, with the authorities aiming to exceed 270,000 km of total network length by 2050, and to increase the high-speed grid to 50,000 km by 2020.
Although the China Railway Corporation is heavily in debt, the continued expansion of the high-speed rail system is one of the country's government's top priorities. China plans to build the world's longest underwater railway tunnel under the Bohai Bay, which will connect the provinces of Liaoning and Shandong and reduce travel time from 8 hours by ferry to 40 minutes by train, the approximate cost of the project is 200 billion yuan. The government is trying to use this rapid development in infrastructure to stimulate economic growth against the backdrop of a general slowdown. Need to be given Special attention and investment in railroads in more remote areas, in the hope that this will spur the growth of second- and third-class cities in the future. For example, some of latest extensions railways captured the southern province of Guangdong, the southwestern provinces of Guangxi and Sichuan, Inner Mongolia and western province Gansu.
Recently, a trial run of a new line from Urumqi to Hami took place. This is the part big project, which will connect Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, with the provincial capital of Gansu, the city of Lanzhou. Xi Jinping plans to expand the high-speed grid abroad, the PRC President is interested in financing and building high-speed lines that would start in the west of China and through Central Asia were going to Europe, and another project for a line from southwest China to Singapore. This plan is known as the "New Silk Road". And while it now seems far too far away and far too large, China is planning to expand its already massive rail network in Tibet. New line will connect Lhasa to strategic points along the way disputed border with India, near Arunachal Pradesh.
With the construction of a high-speed rail system, new places are opening up and travel times are rapidly shrinking. It is difficult to embrace the immensity in just 10 years, despite the fact that most of the most major cities already wrapped in the grid, there are still a number of high-speed lines that need to be connected to the main grid. For example, the Chengdu-Chongqing branch will be connected to the main grid by the end of 2017. China is now on its way to connecting all metropolitan and provincial capitals (excluding Lhasa) on a single high-speed grid by 2020, which will significantly reduce travel time, as shown in the map above.
Until 2009, China's railways lagged far behind air and road connections. Today, traveling on Chinese trains is a very, very pleasant experience, often more modern and luxurious than, for example, traveling by plane. But what's the best thing about high speed trains- this is not even their quality, but convenience and comfort, they can take you to almost any place, while airlines and airports are constantly delayed, trains in most cases will take you on time and usually to the city center. Add to this the fact that this pleasure costs very little money, all this makes high-speed railways the perfect way movement in China.
Happy travels!
China is gradually becoming the world's leading railway power. It covers with a thick net express roads not only their territory, but also neighboring countries. In this review, we will talk about phenomenon of Chinese railways, as well as about prospects his influence on Russia China is already announcing plans to build a $242 billion Beijing-Moscow highway.
In fact, the news about China's multibillion-dollar investment in the development of the Beijing-Moscow railway route is surprising only to those who do not know about the real current situation affairs in transport infrastructure Celestial. The fact is that over the past two decades, this country has been investing heavily in the creation of new roads, bridges, interchanges, overpasses, tunnels and other facilities, including those necessary for railway needs. Moreover, it is rail transport that China focuses on in its infrastructure development, because only it allows you to quickly, efficiently and relatively inexpensively connect different regions huge state in area and population.
Railways of China
Statistics say that in recent times In China, more than two thousand kilometers of high-speed railway lines are built annually, which are used by brand new Chinese trains capable of accelerating up to 500 kilometers per hour. However, the real average speed traffic on the railways of China is still three times less.
Due to this rapid development of the railway network, convenience and speed of travel, as well as relatively low fares with dynamic pricing policies, trains have become the main passenger mode of transport in China.
The development of the railway network also has a positive effect on the growth of the already powerful economy of the country. After all, it is freight, and not passenger, transportation that is the main income of the railways of any state, as well as the main logistics of goods and resources.
Understanding the great importance of railways, having achieved notable success in their construction and operation on the territory of their country, the Chinese authorities several years ago decided to begin railway expansion to other states. First and, on this moment, the main focus of this activity was Southeast Asia.
China and Southeast Asia
In 2011, the Ministry of Railways of China announced the launch of the Asian Railway program, which will unite the railway infrastructure of Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar and Singapore into a single network. The Celestial Empire intends to buy out the lines located in these countries in order to reconstruct them later, as well as create many new routes. In total, this promising network will consist of approximately 40,000 kilometers of new railway lines.
At the same time, the Asian Railway will unite precisely those countries that have been the world's largest producers of consumer goods for the past ten years. And China, through the railway infrastructure, gains control over the production and logistics processes in these states.
But also Southeast Asia China's transport interests are not limited. This country is working on ideas of a much wider infrastructural expansion to the West and East.
China and America
One of the latest promising rail projects in China is the idea of building a transcontinental high-speed rail line from Beijing to Los Angeles.It may sound like a joke, but China is actually seriously considering connecting Asia and China with a railway for the foreseeable future. North America. The 13,000-kilometer line will start in Beijing, pass through Vladivostok, the coast Sea of Okhotsk, dive into a 200-kilometer tunnel under the Bering Strait, then again pass on the ground through the whole of Alaska, West Coast Canada with Vancouver, and then across the United States of America to Los Angeles. In the future, it could be extended east to New York and south to South America.
High-speed Chinese trains will be able to cover the distance between Beijing and Los Angeles in just 24 hours. This is quite a lot for passenger traffic, but it is unimaginably fast for transporting goods, namely, this road will mainly be used as a freight road.
China and Europe
The Chinese authorities are also looking to the West. On November 18, 2014, a freight train consisting of three dozen wagons with Chinese goods left the city of Yiwu in eastern China. Twenty-one days later, he arrived at the end point of his route, Madrid, having overcome 13 thousand kilometers and eight countries along the way: China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, France and, in fact, Spain.
Chinese authorities have said that similar freight trains will travel on this route on a regular basis. People are already calling this record long road"New Silk Road" or "Silk Road of the 21st century".
However, in the previous two paragraphs we are talking exclusively about freight traffic between China and Western countries. But the Celestial Empire is hatching plans to create passenger high-speed highways that will connect it with Europe. A few years ago, the Chinese authorities announced that they intended to create a new "Orient Express" in the future, which would connect Beijing and London. This will be the main train of the world, which will finally turn Eurasia, stretching for 15 thousand kilometers from west to east, into a single continent.
China and Russia
But the route to London is a matter for the future. In the meantime, China plans to gain a foothold on its immediate frontiers. This is evidenced by the desire of Beijing to build a high-speed railway line to Moscow.Expected that total length the road will be about 7 thousand kilometers. It will start in Beijing, pass through northwest China, Kazakhstan and European part Russia to Moscow. Trains will cover this route in just 2 days, while the current trains overcome it in more than 7 days.
When announcing its plans to build a railway to Moscow, China is actually making a statement that it considers Russia one of its main partners, that it believes in further development economy of this state, as well as political and economic ties between Russia and China.
