Beijing-Chengde high-speed rail set to begin operations

BEIJING -- A high-speed railway connecting Beijing with Chengde, a popular summer destination approximately 230 km north of the Chinese capital, will be put into operation on Jan 22, the China State Railway Group Co Ltd (China Railway) announced on Thursday.

The railway, 192 km in length, is the final section to be put into operation on the high-speed rail route connecting Beijing with Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

The Beijing-Harbin route extends 1,198 km with designed speeds of up to 350 km per hour. That cuts the travel time between the two cities from seven and a half hours to less than five hours.

The first section of the route connecting Shenyang, capital of Northeast China's Liaoning province, with Harbin, began operations in December 2012, and the middle section running from Shenyang to Chengde was unveiled in December 2018.

The day the full route opens, 11 return trains will travel between Beijing and Harbin. Thereafter, 12 high-speed trains with speeds of 300 km per hour will be arranged for daily return operations.

The Beijing-Harbin route will facilitate transport in the north and northeast of China, further increase the cargo transportation capacity and promote regional economic and social development, said China Railway.