Yesterday, the Tianjin–Qinhuangdao high-speed railway, which has an operating speed of 300 kilometers per hour, officially commenced service. After initial operational adjustments, by the end of December, high-speed trains to Harbin and Dalian will be launched from Beijing South Railway Station. With this addition, besides the D-series bullet trains departing from Beijing Railway Station, there will now be G-series high-speed trains available from Beijing to the northeast. Travel times will also be significantly reduced.
The Tianjin–Qinhuangdao high-speed railway spans 287 kilometers, with a designed speed of 350 km/h and an initial operating speed of 300 km/h. It starts from Tianjin West Railway Station and ends at Qinhuangdao Station. The line includes nine stations: Tianjin West, Tianjin, Junliangcheng North, Binhai, Binhai North, Tangshan, Luanhe, Beidaihe, and Qinhuangdao. In the initial phase, five pairs of EMU (electric multiple unit) train services will be arranged, all G-series trains originating from Tianjin West. By the end of December, the second phase of the timetable will be implemented, featuring 19 pairs of G-series trains. This includes one pair each from Beijing South to Harbin West and Dalian North, one pair from Tianjin West to Harbin West, and two pairs from Tianjin West to Shenyang North, among others. The fastest travel time between Tianjin and Qinhuangdao will be shortened from 2.4 hours to 1 hour and 11 minutes.
Currently, most trains heading northeast from Beijing depart from Beijing Railway Station and are mostly D-series EMUs, with no high-speed G-series trains available. With the opening of the Tianjin–Qinhuangdao high-speed railway, the route will connect northward to the Beijing–Harbin line and the Harbin–Dalian high-speed railway, westward to the Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railway, and southward to the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway, forming a network of rapid passenger transport corridors across the northeast, north, and east China regions. From now on, trains departing from Beijing South Railway Station will also be able to reach the northeast, with faster speeds and shorter travel times.
Notably, the opening of the Tianjin–Qinhuangdao high-speed railway also means the official connection of the underground diameter line between Tianjin West Railway Station and Tianjin Railway Station. Previously, it took over 20 minutes for conventional trains to travel between the two stations, but with the new underground line, the journey takes just 8 minutes. Currently, the fare for high-speed trains between Tianjin West and Tianjin Stations is set at 9 yuan.
Following the launch of the Tianjin–Qinhuangdao high-speed railway, Beijing Railway Catering Service Co., Ltd. specially developed the “Health Journey” series of meals. Currently, three grades and nine varieties of cold-chain meal sets are available for the Tianjin–Qinhuangdao high-speed railway. Cold-chain meals are boxed meals stored at a central temperature below 0–4°C and are ready to eat after reheating. The nutritious meal sets mainly include: six types of 45-yuan VIP Enjoyment meal sets such as pork with preserved vegetables, shrimp with mushrooms and greens, spicy fish, potato stewed beef brisket, oyster sauce mushrooms, and bamboo shoot chicken; two types of 30-yuan meal sets such as chicken braised with mushrooms and beef with red ginseng; and one type of 15-yuan meal with spicy red oil kidney beans. Passengers can choose from a variety of options based on their taste preferences.
It is understood that the new high-cold-resistant CRH380B EMU trains produced by CRRC (China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation) will be used on the Tianjin–Qinhuangdao high-speed railway for services heading northeast. To cope with emergencies in harsh cold weather conditions, the trains are equipped with emergency cold-proof cotton-padded coats and quilts.