New high-speed railways serve Shenyang for one month

High-speed railway services connecting Shenyang to Tongliao in Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Beijing have been in service for one month as of Jan 29.

Over a one month period, the Xinmin-Tongliao High-speed Railway has transported 216,000 passengers, with a daily average of 7,000 passengers, and the Shenyang-Chengde section of the Beijing-Shenyang High-speed Railway has transported 368,000 passengers, with a daily average of 12,000 passengers.

To cope with travel needs during the Chinese Spring Festival travel rush, there are currently 18 pairs of trains running on the Shenyang-Chengde railway every day, five pairs more than that of the normal schedule. There are also 11 pairs of trains running on the Xinmin-Tongliao railway.

There are a total of 79 ticket windows and 100 self-service ticket machines set up along the railways, and 40 check-in devices utilizing facial recognition technology are also in service.

Background information:

Beijing-Shenyang High-speed Railway

The Beijing-Shenyang HSR runs 709 kilometers and starts at Xinghuo Railway Station in Beijing and connects Chengde in Hebei province with Chaoyang and Fuxing in Liaoning province, before eventually reaching Shenyang.

The line began construction in July 2014, with a total investment of 124.5 billion yuan ($20.4 billion).

The new line shortens the Beijing-Shenyang single journey from six hours to just two hours and 30 minutes, as it can accommodate trains traveling at speeds of up to 350 km per hour. There are only 20 stations constructed along the new line.

The Shenyang-Chengde high-speed rail line cuts the trip from Shenyang to Chengde to two hours and 21 minutes, nearly nine hours less than the previous route.

The operations of the high-speed rail line will also greatly improve the transportation of goods in the region, as the Beijing-Shenyang line will connect to other major rail lines across China, such as the Beijing-Harbin Rail Line, Beijing-Shanghai Rail Line, and the Qinhuangdao-Shenyang Rail Line. In addition, the current railway connecting Beijing to Shenyang has reached operational capacity.

Train G9151, serving Shenyang, Liaoning province, of the Beijing-Shenyang High-speed Railway runs on a bridge in Lingyuan on Dec 29, 2018. [Photo/csteelnews.com]

Xinmin-Tongliao High-speed Railway

The Xinmin-Tongliao High-speed Railway, running from Xinmin in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning province, to Tongliao in Inner Mongolia, covers a distance of 197 kilometers and is designed for speeds of 250 km per hour.

Construction work on the railway line began in June 2016.

A total of four stations have been built, including Xinmin North Station, Zhangwu Station, Ganqika Station, and Tongliao Station. 

As the first high-speed rail line connecting northeast China and Inner Mongolia, the rail line will be the most convenient route to travel from the eastern part of Inner Mongolia to Shenyang and Beijing, due to its connection to the Beijing–Shenyang high-speed rail line at Xinmin North Station.

Following its opening, travel from Tongliao to Shenyang has been shortened from about 5 hours to about 1.5 hours, helping to strengthen economic links between the eastern part of Inner Mongolia and Liaoning province.

A train serving the Xinmin-Tongliao High-speed Railway makes a stop at Tongliao South Railway Station on Dec 29, 2018. [Photo/people.cn]