A TRAIN coded C2551 pulled out of the Beijing South Railway Station and headed for Tianjin Binhai New Area yesterday morning, marking the 15th anniversary of the opening of the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway.

As the first high-speed railway (HSR) with a design speed of 350 km per hour in China, the intercity railway carried a total of 340 million passengers since it entered operation.

Over the past 15 years, the daily frequency of trains running on the rail line has increased from 47 pairs to 128 pairs, and the shortest departure interval has been shortened from 15 minutes to 3 minutes, according to data from the China Railway Beijing Group Co. Ltd.

By 2022, China had 42,000 km of operational HSR, ranking first in the world, and the length of high-speed rail regularly operating at 350 km per hour neared 3,200 km as of June 2022.

High-speed trains have changed people’s commute circle and lifestyle, noted Cheng Shidong, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission. (Xinhua)