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Guangzhou to Open New Metro Connection to High-Speed Rail Line

Posted: 08/8/2014 11:30 am

qingsheng station guangzhou metroBy late next year, you’ll be able to take Guangzhou’s Metro Line 4 to hop on the high-speed rail.

After the transportation lines are connected and Qingsheng Station is finished, a trip on Guangzhou’s Metro Line 4 from University Town to the high-speed rail will take only half an hour, reports Guangzhou Daily.

Qingsheng Station on Line 4 is currently Guangzhou’s first operational metro station to undergo the necessary modifications, and is expected to be fully operational by December 2015. The station will be the second high-speed rail interchange, after Guangzhou South Railway Station.

The fare from Qingsheng Station to Shenzhen will be RMB 49.5, and the trip is expected to take only 28 minutes under optimal conditions.

There are currently 13 high-speed trains traveling between Guangzhou South Railway station and Shenzhen. The plans for an inter-provincial high-speed rail connecting Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong were recently delayed.

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Photo: gzmtr

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Beijing-Guangdong Train Derailed by Landslide

Posted: 06/19/2014 1:20 pm

guangdong train landslide derailA landslide has derailed a train on the Guangzhou-Beijing railway, causing slight injuries to five people, reports Guangzhou Daily.

The landslide was caused by heavy rain. It hit train T171 at around 5am on Thursday near Shakou, in Foshan, about 20km north of the City of Qingyuan in Guangdong.

The train had just left the station at Nanchang and was headed towards Guangzhou. Pictures taken at the scene show dirt coming in through the train windows, covering the train walls.

The passengers are reported to have been evacuated. Emergency response teams have been sent out.

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Photos: Foshan Daily, Guangzhou Daily

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Hong Kong-Guangzhou High-Speed Rail Delayed Until 2016

Posted: 04/16/2014 2:38 pm

The Hong Kong-Guangzhou high-speed railway hit a snag recently when Hong Kong Transport Secretary Anthony Cheung Bing-leung announced delays would force the high-profile project to delay completion until 2015 and not be in operation until the year after, the SCMP reported.

Cheung revealed that he was “totally caught by surprise” when he learned of complications that arose from the rain storm last month and geological difficulties incurred at the digging site. This construction delay could end up costing Hong Kong taxpayers millions of dollars, although Cheung didn’t speculate on an amount.

With the project first scheduled to be completed next year and now very much behind schedule, Hong Kong’s elected officials blasted Cheung for the delays.

Michael Tien Puk-sun of the New People’s Party criticized Cheung for being irresponsible and told the SCMP, “Last year, he told us it was OK but now he expresses surprise. That means he did not cross check what the MTR Corp told him.”

Wu Chi-wai criticized Cheung for gross negligence: “I was surprised that he expressed surprise. As the principal official in charge of transport it is his job to monitor the MTR to ensure the project is delivered on time.”

Maybe there’s something about sitting in a freezing air-conditioned room all day that makes you burn with anger, but Hong Kongers should know that there’s an easier way — the Mainland way.

While the Chinese press has reported the news of the construction delay without the criticisms, they have gone one step further today by commemorating the reopening of the Guangzhou-Hong Kong railway. Yes, it’s time to acknowledge the benefits of the railways system that we have, and not the ones that don’t exist. At 35 years-old, this railway system has provided such valuable service despite not being any older than the “classic rock” music genre.

Who needs to arrive at their destination in under an hour when you can do it in under two-and-a-half hours? On a train that’s actually running? You’ve come a long way, baby!

No need to fret. Relax, sit back and enjoy the ride.

Photo: SCMP

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Shenzhen-Xiamen high-speed train breaks down in tunnel for two hours

Posted: 04/2/2014 11:16 am

The Shenzhen-Xiamen high-speed rail suffered a malfunction on March 31 that delayed the trip by approximately two hours, reports What’s On Xiamen, an incident that may come to hamper weekend revelers from making plans out of town this spring.

The D2319 lost electricity at approximately 4:39 pm and came to a halt in the middle of a tunnel in Zhangzhou, plunging the train into complete darkness. Luminated only by emergency lighting, commuters were further stifled by a lack of air conditioning.

At first, train attendants would only explain to sweating and panicked passengers that, “The train has suffered a malfunction, and the trip will be delayed by one hour”. Said Mr Zheng, a passenger in the number 2 compartment: “At the time when the train stopped, I smelled a heavy scent of burning tar, as though something had been scorched. After about ten minutes, the smell dissipated.“

The lights and AC would finally come back on at 6.11 pm, and the train would resume normal operations at approximately 6.30pm.

The official Weibo account of the Nanchang Railway blamed the malfunction upon a “floating material that came into contact with the electrical network and disrupted train operations”, and apologized to its commuters.

Readers may remember the recently opened Shenzhen-Xiamen high-speed rail as a trip touted to last only three hours long. However, Monday’s ill-fated train was scheduled to have a four hour journey, setting out from Xiamen at 4:02 pm and expected to arrive in Shenzhen at 7:58 pm.

On the positive side, it looks as though tickets prices now cost less than previously reported. According to Tieyou.com, an economy ticket for the Xiamen-Shenzhen high-speed train is priced at RMB 150.5, while a first-class ticket costs RMB 181. Now you can use your savings to purchase glow sticks and extra batteries.

Photo: 163.com

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Train arriving soon: Shenzhen to Xiamen’s sandy beaches in just 3 hours

Posted: 02/22/2013 2:10 pm

A weekend getaway to sand and sea (and maybe sunshine) without having to fight queues at airport security will soon be possible.

A new coast-to-coast high-speed rail link shuttling passengers between Shenzhen and Xiamen in Fujian province in just three hours will launch this coming September.

The new 20-stop route will skirt along several major cities along the way, including Huizhou. The line will be a big boost to for travellers.  Shenzhen is a go-to destination for business while Xiamen is popular for its sandy beaches and surrounding views. It’s often seen as an alternative to the hotspot of Hainan Island.

All of this will be possible when trains begin departing from Shenzhen North Station, slashing the existing train time from a whopping 15 hours.

Life of Guangzhou believes the price of a first class ticket between Shenzhen North and Xiamen will be 190 yuan and a standard class fare will be 160 yuan one-way.

In the battle for passengers between airlines and railways (as we reported a few days ago), this new front will put pressure on Shenzhen Airlines, Hainan Airlines, China Southern and it’s subsidiary Xiamen Air, who all fly out of Bao’an Airport. Prices could well be set for a downward trend.

The latest check on September one-way airfares with eLong.com show tickets selling for 550 yuan before taxes and other fees.

Here is the station list calling at:
Guangdong province (广东省)
Shenzhen North (圳北站) – Pingshan (坪山) – Huizhou South (惠南)- Huizhou East (惠东) – Houmen (鲘门) – Shanwei (汕尾) – Lufeng (陆丰) – Kuitan (葵潭) – Puning (普宁) – Chaoyang (潮阳) – Chaoshan (潮汕) – Raoping (饶平)

Fujian province (福建省)
Zhaoan (诏安) – Yunxiao (云霄) – Zhangpu (漳浦) – Yangkui (杨奎) – Zhangzhou South (漳州南) – Jiaomei (角美) – Qianchang (前场) – Xiamen North (厦门北).

Station list: Life of Guangzhou

Image: Danny Lee

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Shenzhen – Guangzhou high speed rail to open December 28

Posted: 12/14/2011 1:53 pm

We mentioned earlier that the new high-speed rail link connecting Shenzhen and Guangzhou would open before the end of this year, and now a date has been set: December 28.

You won’t have any luck boarding the new trains if you go to Guangzhou East or Luohu Station, however ; the line connects the new Shenzhen North station with Guangzhou’s immaculate (and massive) South station, which also serves as the terminus of the Guangzhou-Wuhan line.

The Shenzhen Daily says in the early stages (which aren’t defined), passengers from Shenzhen to Wuhan will still need to disembark in Guangzhou and get on a separate train, but eventually you’ll be able to travel between Wuhan and Shenzhen seamlessly.  Next year, the line connecting Wuhan to Beijing will open, creating a high speed rail from north to south.

The line between Shenzhen and Guangzhou will stop at Dongchong, Humen, and Gongming stations, so there will be stops on the outskirts of Dongguan.  It would be nice, though, if at some point somebody decided to put a train station in Houjie, or even better, Dongcheng.  It’s capable of traveling 380 km/hr, but will be capped around 300 km/hr, with memories still fresh from Wenzhou.

Alas, we shouldn’t complain: one couldn’t ask for much more than a 25 minute commute between two of China’s great cities.

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High-speed train allows dinner in Shenzhen, drinks in Guangzhou

Posted: 03/30/2011 9:21 am

For many years, China has been building the world’s fastest and most expansive high-speed railway network. The maiden run linked Beijing with Tianjin, cities that are 147 kilometres apart, in only 29 minutes. (And yes, it’s so smooth there is barely a ripple in your tea as you fly along at 350 kilometres per hour.)

Guangzhou has already been linked with Wuhan under this new high-speed system, and soon Guangzhou and Shenzhen will be connected, cutting travel time from an hour down to only 30 minutes. That’s faster that most people’s commute home after work. And it’s only part of the vast transport network planned for this area, reports the Shenzhen Standard:

The high speed rail that links the Shenzhen Guangzhou and Wuhan and Hong Kong sections will be open on the eve of the Universiade games in August. The section was originally scheduled to open by the end of 2010 when the Shenzhen North Railway Section is completed.

But work on the Shiziyang tunnel was delayed, and was just completed two weeks ago. The tunnel that passes under the Pearl River was about 11 kilometers and is said to be the longest underwater railway tunnel in China. The tunnel is part of the 140 kilometer railway system that links Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The rail lines will be open in sections from now till 2016.

Hong Kong, the southern terminus of the national network, will be connected in 2015, allowing travel from the shores of Kowloon to Beijing in only 8 hours.

The national plan is to be able to travel between any two PRD cities within only one hour. This new railway line goes a long way to accomplishing that, allowing people to have dinner in Shenzhen and drinks later in Guangzhou.

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