2016年CRI China Witnesses Biggest Railway Expansion in One Decade（在线收听）

The latest service adjustment will see the number of passenger trains in China grow to 3400 pairs, out of which over 2100 pairs are high-speed.

100 pairs of bullet trains have been scheduled to operate in the mornings and evenings, in a bid to make it more convenient for passengers to go from small and medium-sized cities to bigger ones through the night.

38 railway stations located at county or prefecture level towns have now become departure stations, operating services heading for China's big cities.

Wang Kejian, an official from a departure station in northwest China's Yulin city in Shaanxi Province, explained the convenience brought about by the new line linking his city with east China's Suzhou city in Jiangsu.

"In the past, if we wanted to travel to Suzhou, we could only take the train linking north China's Hohhot in Inner Mongolia with Shanghai Municipality, which only had 15 tickets available. The new line offers 1180 tickets, 340 of them sleeper tickets. This has greatly alleviated the pressure for us on buying train tickets which used to be in short supply."

Nearly 100 pairs of the newly added trains link small cities in central and west China with big cities nearby, raising hopes that better connectivity will mean increased prosperity.

This includes new trains running through Yinchuan and Ningdong, the first intercity express linking both cities inside northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

According to Wang Dalin, chief of Yinchuan passenger traffic section, it is actually an extension of services from Yinchuan to Shanghai.

"Previously, when a train came back to Yinchuan from Shanghai after completing one passenger transport mission, it would rest for 24 hours before starting the next one. But now, after the adjustment, the 24-hour leisure time will be made good use of, meaning the train will head for Ningdong within the period of time."

Meanwhile, a number of loop line railways will start operation in the region of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei in north China.

Zhu Dianping, head of the station management section of the Beijing Railway Bureau, explains the significance of the move.

"The new circular railway is similar to a subway line, which runs both clockwise and counter-clockwise in different directions. This offers more choice for passengers who are willing to travel through different prefecture-level towns and cities."

Another highlight is the number of trains designed for tourists has been increased to 69, providing a variety of leisure services to the passengers on board, such as exercise facilities, massage equipment, and even virtual reality movies.

As yet, the changes haven't had a knock-on effect on the prices of the train tickets.

China is planning to spend 3.5 trillion yuan in the next five years creating more than 30,000 kilometers of new track, with central and western parts of the country a key part of the plan.