Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway to start trial operations in June

The electrification of the Beijing-Dezhou section of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway has been completed, and testing and debugging of the railway will soon begin. The railway is expected to start trial operations at the end of June.
Railway authorities said the testing and debugging work will begin around April 1, and the new-generation CRH (China Railway High-speed) trains will undergo test runs on the section between the Beijing South Railway Station and the Dezhou East Railway Station. The testing and debugging work will mainly focus on the electric network, cables, signals, power source, railway bed and supporting facilities at all stations, and inaccurate data will be corrected in the process.
The train used in the testing of the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway will be a CRH 380A, the world's fastest train with a top speed of 468 kilometers per hour. After the railway officially opens, its rolling stock will be 16-car versions of the CRH 380A and CRH 380B trains with a standard speed of 380 kilometers per hour and a passenger capacity of 1,004.
Each train has three first-class coaches, 10 second-class coaches, two power coaches and one dining coach designated as Coach No.9. Coach No. 3 is a VIP coach and has 24 lie-down seats, which provide a safer and more comfortable traveling experience than the first-class cabins on domestic flights. The lie-down seats support full 180-degree recline and can be converted into a small bed at the push of a button.
The armrests of each lie-flat seat contain a foldable LCD TV and a tray table, and there is a reading lamp on the right side of each seat. In addition, costly dichroic glass is installed at the sightseeing areas located at both ends of the VIP coach for the first time in China.
Currently, the accurate adjustment of the Beijing section along the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway has been completed. The entire adjustment is expected to continue until middle or late May and the entire line is expected to launch by the end of June. Meanwhile, telephone reservations and online booking services for this line will also be introduced at the same time.
According to sources, the high-speed field of the Beijing South Station has reserved 12 platforms for the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway from the No. 6 to the No. 17 ticket entrances of the station hall on the third floor of the station. The high-speed field of the Beijing South Station was launched during the Spring Festival travel peak in 2011.
According to sources, several trains with couchette cars traveling from Beijing to Shanghai at the speed of 250 kilometers per hour currently depart from the high-speed field of the station in mornings and evenings. However, it still takes more than 10 hours from Beijing to Shanghai because they take the existing route.
The future Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway can hit speeds of 350 kilometers per hour, and it will only take four hours from Beijing to Shanghai. After the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway opens, the existing trains with couchette cars traveling from Beijing to Shanghai will be canceled.
By People's Daily Online
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