New rail timetable boosts connectivity

China's national railway operator introduced a new train timetable on Wednesday, adding passenger and freight services to improve connectivity and support regional development.

Under the new timetable, 12,174 scheduled passenger trains will operate across the national railway network, an increase of 106 from the previous schedule, while the number of freight trains will rise by 111 to 23,975, according to China State Railway Group.

The adjustment makes fuller use of newly opened rail lines and stations, including the Xi'an East-Shiyan East section of the Wuhan-Xi'an High-Speed Railway, which began operation on Tuesday.

A total of 58 high-speed train services will operate from Xi'an East or Xi'an North to destinations including Nanyang East, Hankou and Chongqing North, strengthening links between Northwest China and the country's central, southern and southwestern regions.

The fastest journey between Xi'an East and Hankou will take 2 hours and 41 minutes, cutting travel time by more than an hour compared with the previous fastest route between Xi'an North and Wuhan.

The new timetable also brings high-speed rail services to Shangluo, a former revolutionary base in Shaanxi province, and introduces direct high-speed train services between Shaoshan South in Hunan province and Yan'an in Shaanxi, two well-known red tourism destinations.

Several conventional passenger services on major routes, including the Beijing-Guangzhou and Beijing-Shanghai railways, have also been upgraded.

Beijing and Urumqi will be linked by a D-series train for the first time, providing a faster and more modern long-distance service than conventional passenger trains.

On the freight side, the railway operator will run 527 cross-regional freight trains, 22 more than under the previous timetable. Scheduled China-Europe freight train services and China-Central Asia freight train services will increase to 96 and 65, respectively, each up by three, to support international logistics and trade.

The revision is part of China's regular railway timetable adjustment mechanism. Nationwide timetable changes are typically introduced about four times a year to accommodate seasonal passenger demand, freight transport needs, and the opening of new rail lines and stations.