For other uses, see China Railway (disambiguation).
This article is about the company. For railway system and network in China, see Rail transport in China.
China State Railway
Group Company, Ltd.
State-owned limited company
Trade nameChina Railway
Native name中国国家铁路集团有限公司
Former nameChina Railway Corporation (2013–2019)
IndustryRail transport
PredecessorMinistry of Railways
Founded
  • 19 January 1950 (as ministry)
  • 14 March 2013 (as company)
Location cityHaidian, Beijing
Location countryChina
Area servedChina
ServicesPassenger rail
Freight rail
Key peopleLiu Zhenfang (Chairman)
Guo Zhuxue (General Manager)
Revenue (2023)CN¥1.245 trillion[nb 1]
Operating incomeCN¥27.465 billion[nb 2]
Income year2023
Net income (2023)CN¥3.304 billion
Assets (2023)CN¥9.351 trillion
Equity (2023)CN¥3.223 trillion
OwnerMinistry of Finance
Num employees2 million approx. (2013)
DivisionsRailway operations
Subsid16 bureaux
5 companies
Homepage
China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.
S中国国家铁路集团有限公司
T中國國家鐵路集團有限公司
PZhōngguó Guójiā Tiělù Jítuán Yǒuxiàngōngsī
WChung-kuo Kuo-chia Tʻieh-lu Chi-tʻuan Yu-hsien-kung-ssŭ
LChina State Railway Group Limited Company
Orderst
S 2国铁集团
T 2國鐵集團
P 2Guó Tiě Jítuán
W 2Kuo Tʻieh Chi-tʻuan
L 2State Railway Group

China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (Chinese: 中国国家铁路集团有限公司), short form China Railway (CR),[1] is the state-owned rail transport operator and rail infrastructure manager in Mainland China.[2]

China Railway operates passenger and freight transport throughout China with 18 regional bureaus.[3] China has the highest railway usage in the world.[4]

History

China Railway Corporation was established in 2013 to be responsible for railroad construction, operation, and maintenance.[5]: 209

Under the Chinese Corporate Law, China Railway Corporation was reorganized into China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. on 18 June 2019. This meant the Ministry of Finance would act as an investor on behalf of the state and the company would be led by a board and managed by board-chosen executives.[6][7]

By the end of 2019, China Railway employed 2 million people and operated 139,900 km of railroads, of which 35,388 are high-speed railroads.[5]: 209–211

Passenger services

China Railway operates two main types of passenger rail services. Tickets for both types of trains are sold offline at ticket offices, and online at China Railway's official online booking website, 12306.cn, and its associated mobile app, Railway 12306 (with both a Chinese interface and an English interface for use by foreigners). 12306.cn (and its app) is the only official online platform authorized to sell China Railway tickets.[8]

China Railway High-speed (CRH)

Main articles: China Railway High-speed and High-speed rail in China

China Railway High-speed (CRH) is a high-speed rail service operated by China Railway.

The introduction of CRH series was a major part of the sixth national railway speedup, implemented on April 18, 2007.[9] By the end of 2020, China Railway High-speed provided service to all provinces in China, and operated just under 38,000 km (24,000 mi) passenger tracks in length, accounting for about two-thirds of the world's high-speed rail tracks in commercial service.[10][11][12] China has revealed plans to extend the HSR to 70,000 km by year 2035.[12] It is the world's most extensively used railway service, with 2.29 billion bullet train trips delivered in 2019[13] and 2.16 billion trips in 2020,[14] bringing the total cumulative number of trips to 13 billion as of 2020.[15][16]

Over 1000 sets of rolling stock are operated under the CRH brand including Hexie CRH1/2A/5 that are designed to have a maximum speed of 250 km/h (160 mph), and CRH2C/3 have a maximum speed of 350 km/h (220 mph). The indigenous designed CRH380A have a maximum test speed of 416.6 km/h (258.9 mph) with commercial operation speed of 350 km/h. The fastest train set, CRH380BL, attained a maximum test speed of 487.3 km/h (302.8 mph). In 2017, the China Standardized EMU brand including CR400AF/BF and CR200J joined China Railway High-speed and are designated as Fuxing together with letters CR (China Railway).[17][18] With a gradual plan, the CR brand is going to replace the current CRH brand in service.[19] China's CRH380A Hexie developed by CSR Corporation Limited. it is designed to operate comfortably at a speed of 350 km/h (217 mph) and a maximum speed of 380 km/h (236 mph), it is also the fastest train in the world. During testing it also reached 486.1 km/h (302.0 mph).[20]

Depending on their speed, there are 3 categories of high speed trains, G, D and C (G and some C being the fastest at 350 km/h, D having a speed of 250 km/h and C having a speed of 200 km/h).[21]

China Railway Classic Rail

Main article: Classic rail in China

The China Railway Classic Rail network (), also known as conventional rail, forms the backbone of China Railway's railway system alongside the high-speed rail (HSR) network. These traditional railway lines operate at speeds below 160 km/h (99 mph) and serve a dual role in transporting both passengers and freight. Unlike the high-speed CRH (China Railway High-speed) services, which primarily use dedicated electrified tracks, Classic Rail consists of older lines that may be single or double-tracked, with varying degrees of electrification.

Historically, all Classic Rail trains were olive-green, leading to the nickname "green train" () to be used by laypeople. Since 2014, most Classic Rail trains that had other colours (white, red, blue) have been repainted olive-green. Classic Rail trains are also sometimes referred to as "slow trains" in English.[22][23]

Classic Rail trains have significantly lower ticket prices compared to CRH trains and are a popular choice with travellers on a budget.[23]

The China Railway logo was designed by Chen Yuchang (Chinese: 陈玉昶) (1912–1969), officially adopted on 22 January 1950. The whole logo represents the front of a locomotive. The upper part of the logo represents the Chinese character 人 (people), while the lower part represents the transversal surface of a rail. The logo means that China's railway belongs to the people.[24][25][26] The lower part represents the character 工 (labour), means that China's railway belongs to the working class.

The "CR" logo is used on the Fuxing (train) along with the China Railway logo.[27] The "CRH" logo is used on the Hexie (train).

Companies

There are 21 primary subsidiary companies under China Railway. As of 2008, approximately two million people work in China Railway.

BusinessCompanyProvinces of operationRegions of operation
PassengerChina Railway Harbin Group Company
(CR Harbin)		Northeastern Inner Mongolia (Hulunbuir and part of Xingan League), HeilongjiangNortheast China
China Railway Shenyang Group Company
(CR Shenyang)		Liaoning (except Bohai Strait ferry), Jilin, Southeastern Inner Mongolia (Chifeng, Tongliao and part of Xingan League), southern Heilongjiang, northeastern Hebei
China Railway Beijing Group Company
(CR Beijing)		Beijing, Hebei (most parts), Tianjin, western Shandong, northern Henan, eastern Shanxi, with all the exception of Daqin RailwayNorth China
China Railway Hohhot Group Company
(CR Hohhot)		Inner Mongolia (most parts)
China Railway Taiyuan Group Company
(CR Taiyuan)		Shanxi, also operates Daqin Railway through sub-company
China Railway Jinan Group Company
(CR Jinan)		Shandong (includes Bohai Strait ferry)East China
China Railway Shanghai Group Company
(CR Shanghai)		Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui (most parts)
China Railway Nanchang Group Company
(CR Nanchang)		Jiangxi, Fujian
China Railway Guangzhou Group Company
(CR Guangzhou)		Hainan, most parts of Guangdong and HunanSouth China
China Railway Nanning Group Company
(CR Nanning)		Guangxi, western Guangdong
China Railway Wuhan Group Company
(CR Wuhan)		Hubei, southern Henan, a little part of AnhuiCentral China
China Railway Zhengzhou Group Company
(CR Zhengzhou)		Henan (middle and northern parts), southern Shanxi
China Railway Chengdu Group Company
(CR Chengdu)		Sichuan (most parts), Chongqing, Guizhou (most parts), a little part of YunnanSouthwest China
China Railway Kunming Group Company
(CR Kunming)		Yunnan (most parts), a little part of Sichuan and Guizhou
China Railway Qingzang Group Company
(CR Qingzang)		Tibet
QinghaiNorthwest China
China Railway Lanzhou Group Company
(CR Lanzhou)		Gansu (most parts), Ningxia, a little part of Inner Mongolia
China Railway Ürümqi Group Company
(CR Ürümqi)		Xinjiang, a little part of Gansu
China Railway Xi'an Group Company
(CR Xi'an)		Shaanxi (most parts), northeast Sichuan
FreightChina Railway Special Cargo Service Company
(CRSCS)		Nationwide
China Railway Express Company
(CRE)
China Railway Container Transport Company
(CRCT)

Second tier subsidiaries

ParentSubsidiaryOperational line
CR GuangzhouGuangshen Railway CompanyGuangzhou–Shenzhen railway
Guangmeishan Railway CompanyGuangzhou–Meizhou–Shantou railway
Sanmao CompanySanshui–Maoming railway
Shichang Railway CompanyShimen–Changsha railway
Yuehai Railway CompanyGuangdong–Hainan railway
CR KunmingShuibai Railway CompanyLiupanshui–Baiguo railway
CR NanchangWuyishan Railway CompanyHengfeng–Nanping railway
Quanzhou Railway CompanyZhangping–Longyan–Kanshi railway
Longyan Railway CompanyZhangping–Quanzhou–Xiaocuo railway
Xiamen Haicang Railway CompanyHaicang branch railway
CR ShanghaiXiaoyong Railway CompanyXiaoshan–Ningbo railway
Hejiu Railway CompanyHefei–Jiujiang railway
Xinchang Railway CompanyXinyi–Changxing railway
Jinwen Railway CompanyJinhua–Wenzhou railway
Ningqi Railway CompanyNanjing–Qidong railway
Ninghe Railway CompanyHefei–Nanjing passenger railway
Hewu Railway CompanyHefei–Wuhan railway
CR TaiyuanDaqin Railway CompanyDatong–Qinhuangdao railway
CR WuhanHuhanrong Railway Hubei CompanyShanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu high-speed railway (Hubei section)
Luofu Railway CompanyLuohe–Fuyang railway
CR Xi'anXiyan Railway CompanyXi'an–Yan'an railway
CR ZhengzhouAnli Branch Line CompanyAnyang–Lizhen railway
Tanghe Branch Line CompanyTangyin–Hebi railway

Corporate affairs

The key trends for the China Railway are (as of the financial year ending 31; all in CNY),

202120222023
Revenue1.131.131.25
Operating income-34.8−54.427.47
Net income−49.9−69.63.30
Total assets8.929.209.53
Total equity3.003.093.22
Ref.[28][29][30]

Partnership with Airlines

China Railway has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

China Railway has Interline agreements with the following airlines:

International operations

International trains

See also: China Railway International Intermodal Passenger Train

China Railway International Group Co., Ltd (CRIG)[35] operates passenger trains from China to Mongolia[36], Russia[37], Kazakhstan[38], North Korea[39], Vietnam[40] and Laos[41].

Services to Europe (New Silk Route)

See also: Eurasian Land Bridge

As of 2017 China Railway ran goods services to 15 European cities, including routes to Madrid and Hamburg and the experimental East Wind service to London to test demand.[42] The Chinese government refers to the two-week 12,000 km (7,500 mi) route, starting at Yiwu and with trains to London traversing Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France, as the Belt and Road Initiative.[43] Containers must be transferred several times, as different, incompatible, rail gauges are used in different regions, and the same rolling stock cannot be used throughout.

Africa

China has been investing in and helping to rebuild railways in Africa.[44][45] Below is an incomplete list of rail projects.

NameLocationConstructedCompanyCostComments & Ref
High Plateau line, AlgeriaRelizane, Saida, Tiaret, Tissemsilt, Boughezoul to M'Sila, Algeria2009–2013China Railway Group & China Civil Engineering Construction CorporationUS$2.8bn[46]
Benguela RailwayLobito to Luau, Angola2006–2014China Railway Construction Corporation LimitedUS$1.83bnRailway was rebuilt following civil war
Chad RailwayNgaoundéré, Cameroon to Nyala, Sudan via Moundou, N'Djamena and Abéché in Chad2012–ongoingChina Civil Engineering Construction CorporationUS$5.6bnConstruction over three phases
Addis Ababa–Djibouti RailwayAddis Ababa, Ethiopia to Djibouti City, Djibouti2011–2016China Railway Group & China Civil Engineering Construction CorporationUS$4bnElectric
Mombasa-Nairobi RailwayMombasa to Nairobi, Kenya (extended to Naivasha, Kenya in 20162014–2017China Communications ConstructionUS$3.6bn[47]
Kenya–Uganda borderNaivasha, Kisumu to Malaba, Kenya2016–ongoingChina Road and Bridge Corporation (subsidiary of China Communications Construction)US$5.42bn[48]
Mali–Guinea RailwayBamako, Mali to Conakry, Guinea2016–ongoingChina Railway Construction Corporation LimitedUS$8bn[49]
Mali–Senegal RailwayBamako, Mali to Dakar, Senegal2016–ongoingChina Railway Construction Corporation LimitedUS$2.7bn[50]
Nigeria Coastal RailwayLagos to Calabar, Nigeria2014–ongoingChina Civil Engineering Construction CorporationUS$11.1bn[51]
Lagos–Kano RailwayLagos to Kano, Nigeria2011–ongoing, Abuja to Kajuna completed in 2016China Civil Engineering Construction CorporationUS$8.3bn[52]
Sudan RailwayKhartoum to Port Sudan, Sudan2007–2012, 2014 openedChina Railway Engineering CorporationUS$1.5bn[53][47]
TAZARA RailwayDar es Salaam, Tanzania to Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia1970–1975Railway Engineering Corps (now CRCC), Ministry of Railways (now CCECC)US$500mCurrently in need of reinvestment
Uganda RailwayMalaba, Kampala, Kasese, Uganda to Rwanda and South Sudan2015–ongoingChina Harbour Engineering (subsidiary of China Communications Construction)US$8bn[54][55][56]

List of directors general

China Railway Corporation

China State Railway Group

Chairman

General Manager

Footnotes

  1. ^ Including revenue from "Railway Construction Fund"
  2. ^ EBIT, including revenue from "Railway Construction Fund" but excluding contribution to "Water Conservancy Construction Fund"

See also

References

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