Chinese Rail Transport Appreciation & News

Technicians perform a signal test at the upgrade project of Lyuyinhu station along the south-to-north extension line of Weng'an-Machangping Railway in southwest China's Guizhou Province, March 30, 2026.

Upgrade of Lyuyinhu station was completed on Monday, laying a solid foundation for the full operation of the south-to-north extension line of Weng'an-Machangping Railway. The 148-kilometer-long extension line is a key project in the rail freight transport in Guizhou Province. Railway workers are busy at the upgrade project of Lyuyinhu station along the south-to-north extension line of Weng'an-Machangping Railway in southwest China's Guizhou Province, March 30, 2026. (All photos by Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

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Two newly built "New Oriental Express" tourist trains are nearly ready in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and are scheduled to make their maiden journey on April 23. (All Photos provided to China News Service)





The "New Oriental Express" routes will cover well-known scenic spots across both the northern and southern regions of the Tianshan Mountains. During the journey, interactive activities such as mulberry-bark paper rubbing and Adras pattern-making will be offered, allowing travelers to immerse themselves in the rich history and cultural charm of Xinjiang.

High-speed trains travel through the scenic spring landscape of Southwest China. [All Photos provided to chinadaily.com.cn]





High-speed railways are bringing spring landscapes within easy reach for millions of travelers across Southwest China during spring breaks for primary and secondary school students and the upcoming Qingming Festival holiday. Qingming Festival, or Tomb Sweeping Day, falls on April 5 this year. Spring breaks in most provinces and cities are scheduled around the same time, creating an extended holiday period.





To meet demand, China Railway Chengdu Group has rolled out a spring travel transport plan, with 2,211 passenger trains scheduled to run from April 1 to 7. The plan places most destinations within a 3-hour train ride.

Passengers are seen at a platform of Harbin Railway Station in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, April 3, 2026. (Photo by Yuan Yong/Xinhua)

BEIJING, April 3 (Xinhua) -- China is likely to see 90.5 million railway passenger trips from Friday to next Tuesday during the upcoming Qingming Festival holiday travel rush, according to the national railway operator.

Expecting an average of 18.1 million trips daily during the five-day travel rush, China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. forecasted a travel peak on Saturday with a single-day total of 21.2 million trips. Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, falls on April 5 this year. It is a traditional Chinese festival for people to pay tribute to the dead and worship their ancestors. The holiday also provides a short break for people as they engage in outdoor activities and sightseeing.



Passengers are seen at a platform of Hefei Railway Station in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, April 3, 2026. (Photo by Su Nan/Xinhua)



A child checks in at Huzhou Railway Station in Huzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, April 3, 2026. (Photo by Yi Fan/Xinhua)



Foreign passengers check in at Guiyang North Railway Station in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, April 3, 2026. (Photo by Long Jianrui/Xinhua)



Passengers are seen at a platform of Nanjing Railway Station in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, April 3, 2026. (Photo by Su Yang/Xinhua)

An aerial drone photo taken on April 3, 2026 shows a construction site of the Chongqing-Wanzhou high-speed railway during its track-laying phase in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. The construction of the Chongqing-Wanzhou high-speed railway entered the track-laying phase on Friday. With a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour, the high-speed railway stretches 251 kilometers from Chongqing East Railway Station to Wanzhou North Railway Station. (All Photos by Xinhua/Tang Yi)




Workers carry out track-laying operations along the Chongqing-Wanzhou high-speed railway in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, April 3, 2026.

Passengers walk on the platform of Nanjing Railway Station in Nanjing City, east China's Jiangsu Province, on April 6, 2026. An estimated 845.38 million passenger trips were made across China during the three-day Qingming Festival holiday, up 6 percent year on year, transportation authorities said on Monday. The daily average number of trips reached 281.79 million, according to the Ministry of Transport. Road trips accounted for 778.45 million, rising 5.8 percent from the same period last year, while railway trips hit 57.68 million, up 8.2 percent year on year. (Photo by Yang Suping/Xinhua)



Passengers walk after getting off a train at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in east China's Shanghai, on April 6, 2026.(Xinhua/Xing Guangli)



Passengers check in at Beijing South Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, on April 6, 2026.(Xinhua/Xing Guangli)



Passengers wait to board the train at Xuzhou East Railway Station in Xuzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, on April 6, 2026. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)



Passengers are pictured at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in east China's Shanghai, on April 6, 2026. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)



Passengers check in at Fuzhou Railway Station in Fuzhou City, southeast China's Fujian Province, on April 6, 2026.(Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)



Passengers wait to take the train at Beijing South Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, on April 6, 2026.(Xinhua/Xing Guangli)



Passengers walk on the platform of Nanjing Railway Station in Nanjing City, east China's Jiangsu Province, on April 6, 2026.(Photo by Shi Jun/Xinhua)

Passengers check in at Lianyungang Railway Station in Lianyungang City, east China's Jiangsu Province, on April 6, 2026. An estimated 845.38 million passenger trips were made across China during the three-day Qingming Festival holiday, up 6 percent year on year, transportation authorities said on Monday. Road trips accounted for 778.45 million, rising 5.8 percent from the same period last year, while railway trips hit 57.68 million, up 8.2 percent year on year. (Photo by Geng Yuhe/Xinhua)



Passengers walk on the platform of Nanjing Railway Station in Nanjing City, east China's Jiangsu Province, on April 6, 2026.(Photo by Yang Suping/Xinhua)



Passengers walk after getting off a train at Guangzhou South Railway Station in Guangzhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, on April 6, 2026.
(Xinhua/Deng Hua)



High-speed trains stop at Beijing South Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, on April 6, 2026. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)



Passengers are pictured at the waiting hall of Guangzhou South Railway Station in Guangzhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, on April 6, 2026. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)



Passengers walk to board the train at Lianyungang Railway Station in Lianyungang City, east China's Jiangsu Province, on April 6, 2026. (Photo by Geng Yuhe/Xinhua)



A staff member helps a passenger at Lanzhou Railway Station in Lanzhou City, northwest China's Gansu Province, on April 6, 2026.(Photo by Wang Guanghui/Xinhua)



Passengers are pictured at the waiting hall of Guangzhou South Railway Station in Guangzhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, on April 6, 2026.(Xinhua/Deng Hua)

China's Q1 rail way fixed asset investment was 137.9B RMB. up 5.1% YoY

In 2025, it invested 901.5B and added 3109 km of rail (including 2862 HSR). At end of 2025, China had 165k km of rail including 50k+
HSR.

Question...Why isn't a hi-speed train used for testing/debugging?




A test train is about to depart from Xiong'an Railway Station in the Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province, April 15, 2026. The Hebei section of the Xiong'an-Shangqiu High-speed Railway kicked off its coordinated debugging and test on Wednesday.

With a designed speed of 350 km per hour, the 552-kilometer-long railway will connect Xiong'an in north China's Hebei Province and Shangqiu in central China's Henan Province after completion. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)



Railway staff members work on a test train which is about to depart from Xiong'an Railway Station in the Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province, April 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)



This aerial drone photo taken on April 15, 2026 shows a test train passing through a bridge along the Xiong'an-Shangqiu High-speed Railway in north China's Hebei Province. (Photo by Wang Guansheng/Xinhua)



This aerial drone photo taken on April 15, 2026 shows a test train departing from Xiong'an Railway Station in the Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province. (Photo by Lu Qifan/Xinhua)



A test train departs from Xiong'an Railway Station in the Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province, April 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)



A test train is about to depart from Xiong'an Railway Station in the Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province, April 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

I am surprised that there is no mention of the Vietnam Communist Party Gensec Tho Lam visiting China, then took HSR from Beijing to Guangxi on his way back, clearly signaling his intent to build standard gauge linking with China's existing network.

If this were to happen, even if limited to just Northern Vietnam, would change SEA in so many ways. Northern Vietnam could be fully integrated into China's economic orbit. It would be a huge win.