Passenger Rail Transport in China - Passenger Train Classes and Route Identifiers - Classes

Classes

The first character of the route identifier indicates the class of the passenger train, often determined by the speed and the relative number of stops the train makes along the way.

As the Rule of The Edit and Management of Train Timetable, a rule issued by Ministry of Railway, the arrangement of following passenger train classes was put into practice from April 1, 2009.

G ("Gaosu"; High Speed EMU)

This is a series for long-distance high-speed trains. G1-G5998 is used for the trains that run in more than one railway bureau's territory, while G6001-G9998 is used for the trains that run in only one railway bureau's territory.

C ("Chengji"; Intercity EMU Train)

This series has become available after August 1, 2008 with the opening of Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Rail. It represents the EMU trains with shorter travel distances, and mainly running within one railway bureau. The top speed is 350 km/h. C1-C1998 for the trains running through two or more railway bureaus, C2001-C9998 for the trains running within one railway bureau.

D ("Dongche"; EMU Train)

This series has become available after the sixth rise in speed of the railway on April 18, 2007. The top speed will be 250 km/h. These trains are powered using CRH series electric multiple units (EMUs) named "Harmony" (Chinese:和谐号, Hexiehao). D1-D3998 for the trains running through two or more railway bureaus, D4001-D9998 for the trains running within one railway bureau.

As of 2009, D-series trains provide fast frequent service between main cities in China. For example:

• Beijing - Shijiazhuang (2 hours travel time), Taiyuan(3 hours travel time), Handan (3-3.5 hours travel time), Zhengzhou(5 hours travel time).
• Guangzhou - Shenzhen(1 hour travel time)
• Shanghai - Nanjing (2 hours travel time), Hangzhou(1.5 hours travel time), some continuing to destinations beyond such as Zhengzhou and Hankou.

Besides, a few other nighttime D trains go to more remote destinations, such as the services between Shanghai and Beijing.

Z ("Zhida"; Direct Express)

Though its name in Chinese (直达 Zhida) technically implies a "non-stop" overnight train, some of these trains have several stops between the two stations. The majority have both soft sleepers and hard sleepers, while some Z trains have only soft sleepers. The top speed is 160 km/h. It uses the numbers Z1-Z9998 without regard to the number of railway bureaus entered.

This series became available after the fifth rise in speed of the railway on April 18, 2004. Early on (2004–2006), all but one of the Z-series trains had either Beijing or Beijing West station as their destination or origin. As of 2009, Z-series trains also operated along the Yangtze Valley as well, providing overnight service from Wuhan to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Shenzhen.

T ("Tekuai"; Express)

This series of trains have a limited number of stops along their routes, only in major cities, or in some instances stops for switching the driver or locomotive. The top speed is 140 km/h. T1-T4998 for the trains running through two or more railway bureaus, T5001-T9998 for the trains running within one railway bureau. The standard pronunciation on the railway system is "Te"(特) in Chinese.

K ("Kuaisu"; Fast)

This series of trains stop at more stations than T-series. The top speed is 120 km/h. The standard pronunciation on the railway system is "Kuai"(快) in Chinese. K1-K6998 are used for the trains that run in more than one railway bureau, while K7001 to K9998 will be used for the trains that run in only one railway bureau.

After April 18, 2004, N-series trains, which represent fast trains travelling exclusively within one railway bureau, were derived from K-series. Then all K-series trains travel on lines operated by more than one railway bureau. After April 1, 2009, N-series was re-merged to K-series after April 1, 2009.

General Fast Train

General fast trains (普通旅客快车, 普快 Pukuai for short) are slower passenger trains that stop at around half of the stations along the way, resulting in a longer travel time than the fast trains. The top speed is 120 km/h. Route numbers are always four numeric digits - a numeric prefix from 1-5 followed by a 3-digit route number. 1001-1998 for the trains running through three or more railway bureaus, 2001-3998 for the trains running through two railway bureaus, and 4001-5998 for the trains that run in only one railway bureau.

General Train

The general train (普通旅客列车, 普客 "Puke" for short) has as many stops as possible, and is often the preferred choice for rural workers to visit their home villages because of low ticket price. This is the slowest type of train and has the lowest priority in the Fixed Train Timetable (图定列车). The top speed is 100 km/h.

Route identifiers for general trains are always 4 digits - a numeric prefix from 6-7 followed by a 3-digit route number. 6001-6198 are used for the trains that run in more than one railway bureau, while 7001-7598 will be used for the trains that run in only one railway bureau.

Commuter Train

The Commuter Train (通勤列车), is usually runs for railway staff, and generally, their tickets are not available for passengers. Route identifiers for commuter trains are 4 digits with a range of 7601-8998.

L ("Linshi"; Temporary Train)

This series of trains are temporary - they are not listed in the official train schedule, but are added when necessary. Many of these trains only operate at peak passenger travel season such as during the spring festival period. In addition, many new train services are originally added as L-series before train schedules are readjusted and later become regular services. L1-L6998 are used for the temporary trains that run in more than one railway bureau, while L7001 to L9998 will be used for the trains that run in only one railway bureau.

The standard pronunciation on the railway system is "Lin"(临) in Chinese.

Y("Linshiluyou"; Temporary Tourist Train)

This series is mainly used for trains that run to popular sights, such as the S2 Line of Beijing Suburban Railway, which runs from Beijing North to Yanqing, and connects to the Great Wall. Besides, travel agencies can apply to the Ministry of Railways for organizing additional passenger trains for the tours.