High Speed Silk Railroad opens!
Dec 27, 2014, 1:56 am
#16
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Zhangye West has 4 D trains daily from Lanzhou - both the trains to Urumqi, and also two that seem to terminate at Jiayuguan. Trip time 3:25 to 3:40.
Dec 27, 2014, 8:56 am
#17
formerly known as Tad's Broiled Steaks
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Do you find out a lot of this info at skyscrapercity? (I used to spend hours flipping through photos of Chinese railway stations...)
Dec 27, 2014, 3:26 pm
#19
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Dec 27, 2014, 6:48 pm
#20
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
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Although I know how to find up to date schedules online, I really appreciate your posts because they are timely and thorough. 多谢!
Dec 27, 2014, 7:38 pm
#21
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I admit to having mixed feelings about this particular high speed line. While it certainly makes visits to the Silk Road more feasible at reasonable cost and on more flexible time schedules, it makes the influx of mass (domestic) tourism much easier as well. And the more all the neat places become accessible to the casual masses, the more things will change and not for the better.
Dec 28, 2014, 1:25 am
#22
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Evaluation of these new lines from Xinhua:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/in..._133881402.htm
bolding mine
3 and a half hours, like Zhangye-Lanzhou or Nanning-Guangzhou, may be too long for a daily commute, but not for a weekly commute.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/in..._133881402.htm
Originally Posted by Xinhua
China's western regions are rich in natural resources and home to dozens of ethnic moronities.
Originally Posted by Xinhua
However, for a long time, development has been stagnant.
Thus, the three lines will not only benefit the local people in terms of transportation but will also help the local economy.
Wang Dongwei, 51, a businessman who lives in Zhangye City in Gansu Province, jumped at the opportunity to take the high speed train from Zhangye to Lanzhou.
"In the 1980s, it would take 21 hours to travel from Zhangye to Lanzhou.Even today, the normal train takes more than six hours, but now, the trip is a mere three hours," he said.
Meng Yinzhi, an agricultural worker in Gugua Village in Sandu Autonomous County, which is southwest of Guizhou, said the railway would change her life.
"I will find a job in Guangzhou after the Spring Festival, as the new railway reduces the trip from two days to just three hours, meaning I will be able to change my work/life balance," said Meng, 36.
She explained that she had worked in Guangzhou for several years, but had returned home five years ago to take care of her elderly parents and baby, leaving her husband in the coastal city.
Thus, the three lines will not only benefit the local people in terms of transportation but will also help the local economy.
Wang Dongwei, 51, a businessman who lives in Zhangye City in Gansu Province, jumped at the opportunity to take the high speed train from Zhangye to Lanzhou.
"In the 1980s, it would take 21 hours to travel from Zhangye to Lanzhou.Even today, the normal train takes more than six hours, but now, the trip is a mere three hours," he said.
Meng Yinzhi, an agricultural worker in Gugua Village in Sandu Autonomous County, which is southwest of Guizhou, said the railway would change her life.
"I will find a job in Guangzhou after the Spring Festival, as the new railway reduces the trip from two days to just three hours, meaning I will be able to change my work/life balance," said Meng, 36.
She explained that she had worked in Guangzhou for several years, but had returned home five years ago to take care of her elderly parents and baby, leaving her husband in the coastal city.
Dec 28, 2014, 8:41 am
#23
Join Date: Feb 2013
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Yes, I am not saying that the announcement is not useful, just saying that the details of each train can be found on most agents' websites. The majority of the (English website) are "live" with 12306 and therefore always current. As far as I know, only cnvol, which used to be the "go to place" for timetables in English is downloading the schedule "from time to time" and is not so useful any more as it is rarely up to date.
Dec 28, 2014, 11:54 am
#24
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The Xinhua article points out the most important point that my previous self-absorbed post avoided: for the local people who live along this line, it will make their lives a lot easier. As well as increase the likelihood of economic development and greater opportunity/prosperity, similar to what's happened along HSR lines in eastern China.
Dec 28, 2014, 12:12 pm
#25
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just saying that the details of each train can be found on most agents' websites. The majority of the (English website) are "live" with 12306 and therefore always current. As far as I know, only cnvol, which used to be the "go to place" for timetables in English is downloading the schedule "from time to time"
Consider exercise of getting out of Zhangye, to Lanzhou. The high speed option would be:
11:49 D2758 originating at Jiayuguan at 10:24 - arrival Lanzhou 15:21
18:24 D2743 - arrival Zhangye 22:04, terminates Jiayuguan 23:37
Pure slow speed option might be:
7:51 Z106 originating Urumqi yesterday 20:28 - arrival Lanzhou 12:05, terminates Jinan the next day 9:21
18:31 Z41 originating Shanghai yesterday 19:45 - arrival Zhangye 22:50, terminates Urumqi the next day 10:36.
Looks like slow speed trains like Z trains run on the high speed line, too.
Last edited by chornedsnorkack; Dec 28, 2014 at 12:26 pm
Dec 28, 2014, 2:46 pm
#26
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Dec 28, 2014, 3:45 pm
#27
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There are still trains on the old line. Of which the fastest, Z135 Guangzhou-Urumqi, travels the 547 km Lanzhou-Zhangye in 5:18. After all, the High Speed Silk Railway follows a different route, via Xining, and therefore the places on old railway must be served by passenger trains on old railway.
Dec 29, 2014, 4:23 pm
#28
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There are still trains on the old line. Of which the fastest, Z135 Guangzhou-Urumqi, travels the 547 km Lanzhou-Zhangye in 5:18. After all, the High Speed Silk Railway follows a different route, via Xining, and therefore the places on old railway must be served by passenger trains on old railway.
Dec 29, 2014, 9:20 pm
#29
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: China and Canada
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For example, travelchinaguide commonly takes a long time to translate the names of new stations. Meaning that now (29th in China), the railways that opened on 26th only present the names of new stations in hieroglyphs. Chinahighlights does have transcribed (rather than translated) names, but it has other problems. While travelchinaguide presents the stops of a train on a new guide, chinahighlights shows them on a dropdown or something, and if it is longer than the page height, it will be cut off with no way to see the end. And other problems. Thus, neither site offers satisfactory full information.
Consider exercise of getting out of Zhangye, to Lanzhou. The high speed option would be:
11:49 D2758 originating at Jiayuguan at 10:24 - arrival Lanzhou 15:21
18:24 D2743 - arrival Zhangye 22:04, terminates Jiayuguan 23:37
Pure slow speed option might be:
7:51 Z106 originating Urumqi yesterday 20:28 - arrival Lanzhou 12:05, terminates Jinan the next day 9:21
18:31 Z41 originating Shanghai yesterday 19:45 - arrival Zhangye 22:50, terminates Urumqi the next day 10:36.
Looks like slow speed trains like Z trains run on the high speed line, too.
Consider exercise of getting out of Zhangye, to Lanzhou. The high speed option would be:
11:49 D2758 originating at Jiayuguan at 10:24 - arrival Lanzhou 15:21
18:24 D2743 - arrival Zhangye 22:04, terminates Jiayuguan 23:37
Pure slow speed option might be:
7:51 Z106 originating Urumqi yesterday 20:28 - arrival Lanzhou 12:05, terminates Jinan the next day 9:21
18:31 Z41 originating Shanghai yesterday 19:45 - arrival Zhangye 22:50, terminates Urumqi the next day 10:36.
Looks like slow speed trains like Z trains run on the high speed line, too.
What do you mean by transcribed names? I have no idea what you are talking about.
Dec 29, 2014, 11:11 pm
#30
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