Log in Sign up
Back to Discover
💻

China Railway

technology Maturity 11-13 politics
This article covers sensitive topics: politics. Parents can manage visibility in Parental Controls.

Trains run all over China.

China Railways Service Regions.png
China Railways Service Regions.png
They carry many people. They also carry heavy things. Some trains go very fast. They help us travel far. Do you like train rides?

33 words

Trains run all over China.

China Railways Service Regions.png
China Railways Service Regions.png

They carry many people. They also carry heavy things. This helps move goods from place to place.

Some trains go very fast. These are called bullet trains. They travel on special tracks.

Other trains are slower. People call them green trains. They cost less money to ride.

Many people use these trains every day. It is a very big system.

China Railways Service Regions.png
China Railways Service Regions.png

73 words

China Railway is a very big company. It runs trains all over mainland China.

China Railways Service Regions.png
China Railways Service Regions.png

The company manages many tracks. It also moves people and heavy goods. By the end of 2019, it had 139,900 km of tracks. It also employed 2 million people.

There are two main types of passenger trains. One type is high-speed rail, called CRH. These fast trains travel on special tracks. Some of these trains can go 350 km/h. The CRH380A is one of the fastest. It can reach a test speed of 486.1 km/h.

The other type is called Classic Rail. People often call these "green trains." This is because the trains used to be olive-green. These trains are slower than high-speed trains. They also cost less money. This makes them good for travelers on a budget.

China Railway also works in other places. It helps build and fix railways in Africa. It also runs trains to countries like Russia and Vietnam.

China Railways Service Regions.png
China Railways Service Regions.png

People can buy tickets in person. They can also buy them online. The official website is 12306.cn. It even has an app for phones.

189 words

China Railway is a huge company that manages trains in mainland China. It is a state-owned group that looks after both the tracks and the trains. This company is very important because China has the highest railway usage in the world.

China Railways Service Regions.png
China Railways Service Regions.png
It moves millions of people and heavy goods across the country every day. The company uses 18 different regional bureaus to help manage these massive tasks. It is a vital part of how people travel and how goods move through the land.

There are two main ways that passenger trains work in China. The first way is through high-speed rail, which is called CRH. These trains run on special tracks and move very quickly. The second way is through Classic Rail, which people sometimes call "slow trains." These older lines carry both people and freight at speeds below 160 km/h.

China Railways Service Regions.png
China Railways Service Regions.png
Many travelers choose Classic Rail because the tickets cost less money. In the past, these trains were often olive-green, so people called them "green trains."

The history of the company shows how much it has grown. The China Railway Corporation was first started in 2013. Later, on 18 June 2019, it became the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. This change meant the company would be led by a board of leaders.

China Railways Service Regions.png
China Railways Service Regions.png
The company's logo was actually designed much earlier by Chen Yuchang. He designed it in 1950 to look like the front of a locomotive. The logo uses shapes to represent the people and the workers.

China Railway has many impressive numbers behind its work. By the end of 2019, the company employed 2 million people. It also managed 139,900 km of railroads, including 35,388 km of high-speed tracks.

China Railways Service Regions.png
China Railways Service Regions.png
The high-speed CRH380A is a very fast train that can travel at 350 km/h. During tests, the CRH380BL reached a speed of 486.1 km/h. In 2019 alone, people took 2.29 billion trips on the high-speed trains. This shows just how much people rely on this massive network.

You can see how these trains connect to the rest of the world. China Railway runs international trains to places like Mongolia, Russia, and Vietnam.

China Railways Service Regions.png
China Railways Service Regions.png
They even run goods services to European cities like Madrid and Hamburg. This is part of a big plan called the Belt and Road Initiative. China also helps build and fix many railways in Africa. They have worked on projects in countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria. This helps connect different lands through long paths of steel.

430 words

China Railway (CR) is the state-owned operator for rail transport in Mainland China. It manages both the physical infrastructure and the daily movement of trains. This organization is essential because China has the highest railway usage in the world. The company oversees passenger and freight services across the entire country. It utilizes 18 regional bureaus to manage these vast operations. This massive network serves as a primary way for people to travel and for goods to move.

China Railways Service Regions.png
China Railways Service Regions.png

To understand how the system functions, one must look at its two distinct service types. The first is China Railway High-speed, commonly known as CRH. These trains run on dedicated electrified tracks designed for extreme velocity. The second type is China Railway Classic Rail, often called conventional rail. These lines act as the backbone of the system alongside high-speed tracks. Classic Rail trains operate at speeds below 160 km/h. They serve a dual role by transporting both passengers and freight. Many travelers use these "slow trains" because the ticket prices are significantly lower.

The high-speed network is categorized by specific train speeds labeled G, D, and C. The G and some C categories are the fastest, reaching speeds of 350 km/h. D trains operate at 250 km/h, while C trains typically run at 200 km/h. The CRH brand includes over 1,000 sets of rolling stock, which are the vehicles used on the tracks. Notable models include the Hexie series and the indigenous CR380A. The CR380A is designed for a commercial operation speed of 350 km/h. During testing, the CR380BL reached a maximum speed of 486.1 km/h. A newer brand called Fuxing is gradually replacing the older CRH brand in service.

The history of the organization involves significant structural changes. The China Railway Corporation was originally established in 2013. It was responsible for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the railroads. On 18 June 2019, the company reorganized into China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. Under Chinese Corporate Law, this change allowed the Ministry of Finance to act as an investor. The company is now led by a board and managed by executives chosen by that board. This reorganization helped modernize how the massive state entity is governed.

The scale of China Railway is reflected in its impressive statistics. By the end of 2019, the company employed 2 million people. It operated a total of 139,900 km of railroads. Within that total, 35,388 km were dedicated high-speed railroads. The usage numbers are staggering, with 2.29 billion bullet train trips delivered in 2019. In 2020, the service delivered 2.16 billion trips. By the end of 2020, the cumulative number of high-speed trips reached 13 billion. China also plans to extend the high-speed rail network to 70,000 km by the year 2035.

Even the company's visual identity has deep meaning. The China Railway logo was designed by Chen Yuchang and adopted on 22 January 1950. The design represents the front of a locomotive. The upper part of the logo represents the Chinese character 人, which means "people." The lower part represents the character 工, which means "labour." Together, these symbols signify that the railway belongs to the people and the working class. Different logos are used for different train brands, such as "CR" for Fuxing trains and "CRH" for Hexie trains.

Finally, China Railway connects to much larger global systems. Through the China Railway International Group, passenger trains run to Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Vietnam, and Laos. Under the Belt and Road Initiative, goods services reach European cities like Madrid and Hamburg. This involves traversing countries like Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium, and France. Moving these goods is complex because different regions use different rail gauges. This means containers must be transferred several times between incompatible tracks. Beyond Europe, China also invests in massive railway projects across Africa, including lines in Algeria, Angola, Ethiopia, and Kenya.

644 words
🖼️ Images & Media (1)
File:China Railways Service Regions.png
China Railways Service Regions.png
Up Next
💻
China Railway High-speed
Technology
More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.