Beijing-Kowloon Railway marks 30 years with 1.77 billion passenger trips recorded

(ECNS) -- China Railway Group said on Tuesday that the Beijing-Kowloon Railway, a 2,397-km north-south corridor linking Beijing with Shenzhen and onward to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, had logged about 1.77 billion passenger trips in the 30 years since its inauguration on Sept 1, 1996.

The line originates at Beijing West Station and traverses eight provincial-level regions - Beijing, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Hubei, Jiangxi and Guangdong - to Shenzhen, where it connects to Hong Kong via the Guangzhou-Kowloon line.

Zhao Peijun, a spokesman for Beijing West Station, said daily train arrivals and departures at the station had grown from 54 to 406 over the years. He also noted that the Beijing-Kowloon route has undergone five major speed upgrades, with maximum operating speeds now reaching 160 km/h.

Hou Shaopu, a conductor with the Beijing-Shenzhen team of the Beijing passenger depot, said the route was adjusted in 2022 to run from Beijing West to Shenzhen East, slashing journey times to under 30 hours from 49.

(By Zhang Dongfang)