Zhengzhou-Xian High-speed Railway Started Operation

Zhengzhou-Xi'an High-speed Rail, another new high-speed railway linking Zhengzhou, the provincial city of Henan Province, and Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, started operation in China on February 6th, 2010.

The Zhengzhou-Xi'an High-speed Railway, 505-kilometer-long, is reported as the first high-speed passenger dedicated rail in Western China. With a speed of about 350 kilometers per hour, China Railway High-speed trains cut the travel time between Zhengzhou and Xi'an from over 6 hours to just about 2 hours. And the traveling fares are also comparatively low, 390 RMB ($ 58) for one seat in a first-class carriage and 240 RMB ($ 36) in an economic carriage.

The first train left Xi'an at 10:50 am and arrived at Zhengzhou at 1:15 pm. Meanwhile, the first train from Zhengzhou to Xi'an departed from Zhengzhou at 07:55 am and arrived at Xi'an at 10:29 am. A total of 14 CHR trains would be running between Xi'an and Zhengzhou every day, at an interval of about 90 minutes in both cities.

Nine railway stations had been built along the line for boarding and dropping off passengers: Gongyi South Station, Longmen Station of Luoyang City, Mianchi South Station, Sanmenxia South Station, Lingbao West Station, Huashan North Station, Weinan North Station, Lintong East Station, and Xi'an North Station. Travelers could choose to take the trains at any of the nine at their convenience.

Henan, China's most populous province, is a major tourist attraction with a great number of sites of historical and cultural interest such as Shaolin Temple, Longmen Grottoes, Mount Yuntai and Kaifeng City. Shaanxi, famous for Terracotta Warriors and Mount Huashan, boasts rich cultural resources. The operation of Zhengzhou-Xi'an High-speed Rail will absolutely enable tourists to enjoy more natural and cultural wonders of the two provinces in a shorter time.

(Plan a Xi'an tour to experience the world's fastest train and enjoy the cultural highlights of Xi'an and Zhengzhou.)