Last leg of Olympic railway opens with new bullet train service

The new bullet train service for the upcoming Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games made its maiden journey along a new line to a new railway station on Thursday.

The specially designed livery for the smart Fuxing bullet train is white and blue, with 24 snow flakes representing the 24th Games.

"It is the most advanced bullet train in China," said Zhu Yan of the engineering research center at the China Railway Rolling Stock Corp (CRRC) Changchun Railway Vehicles, the manufacturer of the train, adding that the Fuxing has intelligent, green and cultural aspects,

Its 2,700 automatic inspection sensors collect operation data, including from the brake and traction systems as well as vibration and temperature data. 

The previous generation of smart bullet trains had about 1,500 sensors, Zhu said, adding that there is also a system for seeing things from a distance, a little like an advanced telescope, that allows the train to spot any problems on the track ahead, such as the presence of foreign objects. 

"The smart system will report any dysfunction to the ground crew and the driver to help them decide on the safest course of action," he said. 

The train is made using environmentally friendly materials, and more than 50 percent of it is recyclable. It is designed to be in service for 30 years. 

Jiang Nan, an onboard mechanic with the China Railway Beijing Group, said that the smart train makes his job easier and faster. 

It has eight cars, including business, first-class and second-class compartments. To serve media needs, it has special working compartments with tables and international electric sockets and there is also a high definition studio for live broadcasts of interviews with athletes and officials, supported by 5G technology. The train is the first of its kind in the world to offer HD signal transmission while traveling at speeds of up of 350 kilometers per hour. 

The interiors are decorated with Winter Games motifs, including photos winter sports photos on the walls and paper snowflakes on the roof. 

For its maiden voyage, the train departed from Beijing's Qinghe Railway Station, passing through Taizicheng and finally arriving at Chongli Railway Station. The latter stations are both in Hebei's Zhangjiakou city. 

A section with a designed speed of 160 km per hour, connecting Taizicheng and Chongli, went into operation on Thursday. It is the last leg of the railway built for the Games. 

The Olympics will be mainly held in three areas; downtown Beijing, suburban Yanqing and Zhangjiakou's Chongli district. Commuter services will be provided by the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway and Chongli Railway. 

As the train arrived at Chongli, the newly built station made its public debut. Surrounded by snowy mountains, the station is designed to look like a forest cabin. 

Li Qixuan, head of the Chongli Railway Station, said the new station is only 6 km from downtown Chongli and it connects the main venues in Taizicheng and Chongli. 

Passengers can travel between Taizicheng and Chongli in 10 minutes.