The 513 km Xiamen-Shenzhen line between the port of Xiamen in east China's Fujian Province, and Shenzhen, China's first Special Economic Zone, started operation on 28th December, 2013. Travel time between the two cities shortened from 13 hours to four hours. The line extends east to Shanghai and westward to Guangzhou, significant business hubs. It is the last link in the chain between the most dynamic cities and manufacturing centers in east and south China, with a population over 700 million, and almost as large as Europe.
Other new high-speed rail lines which began services on same day include one in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, starting point of the ancient Silk Road, and another in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the bridgehead of China-ASEAN cooperation.
Along with the development of domestic high-speed rail, the government and rail enterprises are actively seeking overseas customers.
A new high-speed railway that connects the two northern port cities of Tianjin and Qinhuangdao was put into operation on Dec.1, 2013.
The railway line extends 287 km and runs through 14 districts and counties in north China's Hebei Province and Tianjin Municipality, with speeds of up to 350 km per hour, according to the Beijing Railway Bureau.
Construction of the rail line started on Nov. 8, 2008 and testing began in November 2013.The Tianjin-Qinghuangdao railway marks that high-speed railway lines in China's northeastern provinces have been linked with the country's high-speed rail network. Up till now, China has 34 high-speed rail lines with the length accounting for one tenth of the country's total railway operation mileage.
The world’s first high-speed railway operating in extremely low temperatures began service on April 21, 2013, that can reach speeds of up to 300 km/h. The 921-km line linking Harbin, capital of China’s northernmost province of Heilongjiang, and port city of Dalian, Liaoning province, operated at 200 km/h on its winter schedule. Since the line opened on Dec 1, 2012, it has withstood tests of extremely low temperatures and inclement weather and proved safe and reliable, said Gao Wen, deputy director of Shenyang Railway Bureau, which manages the line.
