High-speed connect to 2022 cities Zhangjiakou, Beijing
People wait to get on the G8811 high-speed train bound for Taizicheng Railway Station at Beijing North Railway Station yesterday. The high-speed railway line connecting Beijing and Zhangjiakou in north China’s Hebei Province went into service yesterday.
The high-speed railway line connecting Beijing and Zhangjiakou, the co-host city of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, went into operation yesterday, the China State Railway Group Co Ltd said.
With 5G signals, wireless charging and intelligent lighting, the smart train G8811 departed from Beijing North Railway Station at around 8:30am to Zhangjiakou in north China’s Hebei Province.
The railway is 174km long, with 10 stations along the line. Several underground tunnels were built on the route so trains can avoid traversing through scenic spots.
With a maximum design speed of 350kph, it will reduce the travel time between Beijing and Zhangjiakou from over three hours to 47 minutes, facilitating inter-city traffic and crucial for the co-host of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Chongli railway, a branch line of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway, also went into service yesterday. It is 53km long, with a maximum design speed of 250kph.
Yang Yang, a Winter Olympic champion and chairwoman of the Athletes’ Commission of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, was among passengers on the high-speed train G8811.
Yang said Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway is important to the preparation of the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. “It can improve the efficiency of our work, promote China’s winter sports, and boost the ice and snow economy.”
Construction of the high-speed railway lasted four years. The railway underwent test runs earlier this month.
“The Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway is a milestone in China’s railway development,” said Wang Hongyu, chief designer in charge of this railway project with Railway Engineering Consulting Group Co Ltd.
He said the railway construction has adopted China’s latest achievements in railway development from equipment manufacturing, new materials to new artificial intelligence technology.
The trains on the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed rail line can automatically start and stop, run between stations, open and close doors, as well as handle emergencies. It is the first time China is using an autonomous high-speed train.
For the athletes, an area for snowboards and other ski equipment is also available on the train. E-ticket services have been launched to enable passengers to use their ID cards or scan QR codes for authentication instead of waiting in line for paper stubs.
Designed by Zhan Tianyou, known as the “father of China’s railroad,” the original railway linking Beijing and Zhangjiakou was put into operation in 1909. It was known as China’s first independently designed and built railway.
The construction was considered impossible at the time without foreign assistance. Zhan, together with his colleagues, however, strived to complete its construction two years ahead of schedule, inventing a zigzag railway design using two locomotives instead of one to power trains on a steep mountain slope.
