A new high-speed train route from Nanjing to Guangzhou opened yesterday, slashing travel time to 7 hours, along with another intercity line that can put Nanjingers in Nantong in less than 3 hours.
As part of the biggest nationwide high speed train schedule overhaul to date, put into effect on 15 May 2016, the new G1113 from Nanjing South to Guangzhou South reduces travel time from over 27 hours on the K-trains to a mere 7 hours, at a price of ¥610 for a second-class seat. With the daily train leaving at 07:10 and arriving in Guangzhou in the afternoon, you will be just in time for some delicious Cantonese style Dim-Sum, after stopping along the way at Yue Yang and Heng Yang, in case you prefer the spicier tastes of Hunan.
More good news for those intercity travelers in Jiangsu; ten new trains are now operating between Nanjing and Qidong, with the 268.3 kilometres journey to Nantong only taking two and a half hours with a price tag of ¥106.
Along the Nanjing-Qidong route, stop in Yangzhou after only 48 minutes to see “Slender West Lake” (瘦西湖), then carry on to sample fried bamboo and pork dumplings in the dam city of Jiangsu, before wandering in the ancient gingko forest at the next stop Taizhou.
With this change in its operation, China’s high speed rail system aims to add more intercity trains between second and third tier cities and more night trains on busy routes such as Beijing-Shanghai, Beijing-Guangzhou and Nanjing-Shanghai (defined as between 18:00 and 07:00). Other changes include raising train speeds and cutting stops to reduce travel time.
At present, there are 1,798 kilometres of high-speed railways in Jiangsu. By 2020, 70 percent of cities in Jiangsu shall be connected by high-speed trains.
Having the world’s largest high-speed rail network with an incredible 2,100 high-speed trains in total, China’s high speed trains make sure you can get almost anywhere “faster than a bullet”. So what are you waiting for? Dim-Sum is ready!
