Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

TWO intercity trains linking Shenzhen with Huaiji and Heyuan in Guangdong Province were put into operation yesterday, the first day of the new national train schedule.

The train D7554 to Huaiji, Zhaoqing, leaves Shenzhen at 8 a.m. and arrives in Huaiji at 11:02 a.m. It passes through Dongguan, Guangzhou, Foshan and Zhaoqing. The return train, D7553, leaves at 11:22 a.m. and arrives in Shenzhen at 2:16 p.m.

The trip between Shenzhen and Heyuan takes about two and a half hours on the new intercity trains. It is the first time that Heyuan has operated intercity trains to Guangzhou and Shenzhen, sources from Guangzhou Railway Group Corp. said.

Train Z8005 leaves Heyuan at 12:40 p.m. and arrives at Shenzhen Railway Station at 3:05 p.m., passing through Huizhou and Dongguan.

Train Z8006 leaves Shenzhen at 3:45 p.m. and arrives in Heyuan at 6:06 p.m.

Train Z8003 to Guangzhou leaves at 6:36 p.m. and arrives in Guangzhou at 9:20 p.m.

Under the new national train operation schedule, passengers from Shenzhen taking high-speed trains can reach 18 provinces and municipalities, including the newly added Tianjin.

Shenzhen North Railway Station operates 369 pairs of trains, specifically 235 pairs on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and 134 pairs on the Shenzhen-Hangzhou High-speed Railway.

Train G306, the new train to Tianjin, leaves Shenzhen at 10:10 a.m. and arrives in Xiong’an new area at 7:04 p.m. and Tianjin at 7:47 p.m.

Under the new national train schedule, Hong Kong West Kowloon Station will be connected with 58 mainland cities via high-speed rail. The 14 additional stations include Zhaoqing, Shantou and Foshan stations in Guangdong Province, and more stations in Chongqing, Tianjin, Nanning, Handan, Hengyang and Wuzhou.

The number of trains operating between Futian Station and West Kowloon Station will reach 127 pairs a day, including 110 pairs running on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong rail.

The two-month summer travel period started July 1. The railways in China are estimated to serve 720 million passengers this summer, an increase of 53.84 million, or 8.1 percent, year on year. Daily passenger turnover stands at 11.61 million.