China Railway facts for kids
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Headquarters
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Trade name
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China Railway |
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Native name
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中国国家铁路集团有限公司
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Formerly
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China Railway Corporation (2013–2019) |
| State-owned limited company | |
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Predecessor | Ministry of Railways |
| Founded |
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| Headquarters |
Haidian, Beijing
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China
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Area served
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China |
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Key people
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Liu Zhenfang (Chairman) Guo Zhuxue (General Manager) |
| Services | Passenger rail Freight rail |
| Revenue |  CN¥1.245 trillion (2023) |
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Operating income
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CN¥27.465 billion (2023) |
| CN¥3.304 billion (2023) |
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| Total assets | CN¥9.351 trillion (2023) |
| Total equity | CN¥3.223 trillion (2023) |
| Owner | Ministry of Finance |
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Number of employees
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2 million approx. (2013) |
| Divisions | Railway operations |
| Subsidiaries | 16 bureaux 5 companies |
| Footnotes / references source |
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| China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. | |||||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 中国国家铁路集团有限公司 | ||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 中國國家鐵路集團有限公司 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | China State Railway Group Limited Company | ||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 国铁集团 | ||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 國鐵集團 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | State Railway Group | ||||||||
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China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., also known as China Railway (CR), is a huge company that runs passenger and freight trains across the People's Republic of China. It has 18 local offices that help manage the trains. China Railway is known for having the most railway users in the world.
Contents
History of China Railway
China Railway Corporation started in 2013. Its job was to build, run, and take care of railroads.
In 2019, the company changed its name to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. This change meant that the Ministry of Finance would act as an investor for the government. A board of directors now leads the company, and they choose the people who manage it day-to-day.
By the end of 2019, China Railway had about 2 million employees. It managed 139,900 kilometers (about 86,930 miles) of railroads. A big part of this, 35,388 kilometers (about 21,989 miles), was for high-speed trains.
Passenger Train Services
China Railway offers two main types of train services for passengers. You can buy tickets at train stations or online. The official website and app for buying tickets is 12306.cn. This is the only official place to buy China Railway tickets online.
China Railway High-speed (CRH)
China Railway High-speed (CRH) is a special service for very fast trains. These trains are a big part of China's railway system.
CRH trains started running widely in 2007. By the end of 2020, CRH trains served all provinces in China. They ran on almost 38,000 kilometers (about 23,612 miles) of tracks. This is about two-thirds of all the high-speed rail tracks in the world! China plans to have 70,000 kilometers (about 43,496 miles) of high-speed rail by 2035.
Many different types of trains are used for CRH services. Some, like the Hexie trains (CRH1, CRH2A, CRH5), can go up to 250 kilometers per hour (about 155 mph). Others, like the CRH2C and CRH3, can reach 350 kilometers per hour (about 217 mph). The CRH380A Hexie train can go even faster, reaching 416.6 kilometers per hour (about 259 mph) in tests.
Newer trains, called Fuxing (meaning "Rejuvenation"), are also part of the high-speed network. These include the CR400AF/BF and CR200J models. They are slowly replacing the older CRH trains.
High-speed trains are grouped into three categories based on their speed:
- G trains and some C trains are the fastest, going up to 350 km/h (217 mph).
- D trains travel at 250 km/h (155 mph).
- Other C trains travel at 200 km/h (124 mph).
China Railway Classic Rail
The China Railway Classic Rail network is the traditional railway system. These trains run at speeds below 160 kilometers per hour (about 99 mph). They carry both passengers and goods. Unlike the high-speed trains, Classic Rail uses older tracks. Some tracks have one line, and some have two.
Historically, these trains were olive-green. People often called them "green trains." Since 2014, most Classic Rail trains have been repainted this color. Classic Rail tickets are much cheaper than high-speed train tickets. This makes them a popular choice for travelers who want to save money.
China Railway Logos
The main China Railway logo was designed by Chen Yuchang in 1950. It looks like the front of a train. The top part of the logo looks like the Chinese character for "people" (人). The bottom part looks like a train track. This means that China's railway belongs to the people. The bottom part also looks like the character for "labor" (工), showing that the railway belongs to the working class.
The "CR" logo is used on the Fuxing trains. The "CRH" logo is used on the Hexie trains.
China Railway Companies
China Railway has many smaller companies that help it operate. There are 21 main companies that work under China Railway. These companies manage different regions and types of services, like passenger trains or freight trains. In 2008, about two million people worked for China Railway.
International Train Services
China Railway runs passenger and freight trains that connect China with other countries. These include trains to Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Vietnam, and Laos.
Here are some examples of international passenger train services:
- Dandong to Pyongyang
- Beijing to Ulaanbaatar and Moscow
- Beijing to Pyongyang
- Hohhot to Ulaanbaatar
- Ürümqi to Almaty (Kazakhstan)
- Ürümqi to Astana (Kazakhstan)
- Beijing West to Nanning (China) and then to Gia Lâm (Hanoi, Vietnam)
- Puer (China) to Luang Prabang (Laos)
- Kunming South (China) to Vientiane (Laos)
Trains to Europe (New Silk Route)
China Railway also sends goods trains to many cities in Europe. These routes are part of what is called the "Belt and Road Initiative." For example, trains travel from Yiwu in China all the way to London. This journey is about 12,000 kilometers (about 7,456 miles) long and takes about two weeks. The trains pass through countries like Kazakhstan, Russia, Poland, Germany, Belgium, and France.
Containers have to be moved between different trains along the way. This is because different countries use different track widths. So, the same train cannot travel the whole distance.
Railway Projects in Africa
China has been helping to build and improve railways in Africa. This includes many projects that help connect cities and countries across the continent. For example, China has helped build railways in Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria. These projects help improve transportation and trade in these regions.
Images for kids
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China Railway service regions
See also
In Spanish: China Railway para niños
- Rail transport in China
- List of locomotives in China
- China Railway High-speed
- MTR
- Passenger rail transport in China
- High-speed rail in China
