China Railway Corporation

China National Railway Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “China Railway Corporation”) is a wholly state-owned enterprise approved by the State Council and established by the Central Government in accordance with the Company Law of the People’s Republic of China. It takes railway passenger and freight transport service as its main industry.

History of China Railway Corporation

  • In January 1949, the Ministry of Railway of the Chinese People’s Revolutionary Military Commission (the “Ministry of Railway of the Military Commission”) was established;
  • On October 1, 1949, after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Railway of the Military Commission was reorganized as the Ministry of Railway of the Central People’s Government, under the leadership of the Political and State Council of the Central People’s Government;
  • On September 20, 1954, the Ministry of Railways of the Central People’s Government was changed to the Ministry of Railways of the People’s Republic of China.
  • In July 1970, the Ministry of Railways merged with the postal departments of the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications to establish a new Ministry of Transport.
  • In January 1975, the Ministry of Railways was reestablished.
  • On March 16, 2013, the Ministry of Railways was abolished and divided into China Railway Administration and China Railway Corporation.
  • On December 6, 2018, the enterprise name of China National Railway Group Co., Ltd. has been approved.

Logo of China Railway Corporation

The Chinese Railway Logo was designed by Chen Yuchang (陈玉昶), and was formally adopted on January 22, 1950. The whole sign represents the front of the locomotive. The upper part of the logo represents the Chinese character “人(refer to people)”, while the lower part represents the lateral surface of the railway track. The logo means that China’s railways belong to the people.

Companies of China Railway Corporation

There are 21 major subsidiaries under China Railway. Among them, three are professional freight companies.

Passenger Companies of China Railway Corporation

 Company Provinces of Operation
 China Railway Harbin Group Company (CR Harbin) Northeastern Inner Mongolia(Hulunbuir and part of Xingan League), Heilongjiang
 China Railway Shenyang Group Company(CR Shenyang) Liaoning, Jilin, Southeastern Inner Mongolia(Chifeng, Tongliao and part of Xingan League),
southern Heilongjiang, northeastern Hebei
 China Railway Beijing Group Company (CR Beijing) Beijing, Hebei, Tianjin, western Shandong, northern Henan, eastern Shanxi
 China Railway Hohhot Group Company(CR Hohhot) Inner Mongolia
 China Railway Taiyuan Group Company(CR Taiyuan) Shanxi 
 China Railway Jinan Group Company(CR Jinan) Shandong
 China Railway Shanghai Group Company(CR Shanghai) Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang
 China Railway Nanchang Group Company(CR Nanchang) Jiangxi, Fujian, parts of Hubei and Hunan
 China Railway Guangzhou Group Company(CR Guangzhou) Guangdong, Hunan, Hainan
 China Railway Nanning Group Company(CR Nanning) Guangxi, western Guangdong
 China Railway Wuhan Group Company(CR Wuhan) Hubei, southern Henan
 China Railway Zhengzhou Group Company(CR Zhengzhou) Henan, Shanxi
 China Railway Chengdu Group Company(CR Chengdu) Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, parts of Yunnan and Hubei
 China Railway Kunming Group Company(CR Kunming) Yunnan, parts of Sichuan and Guizhou
 China Railway Qingzang Group Company(CR Qingzang) Tibet, Qinghai
 China Railway Lanzhou Group Company(CR Lanzhou) Gansu, Ningxia, parts of Inner Mongolia
 China Railway Ürümqi Group Company(CR Urumqi) Xinjiang, parts of Gansu
 China Railway Xi’an Group Company(CR Xi’an) Shaanxi,northeast Sichuan

Freight Companies of China Railway Corporation

  • China Railway Special Cargo Service Company(CRSCS)
  • China Railway Express Company(CRE)
  • China Railway Container Transport Company(CRCT)

International Operations of China Railway

Chinese railways operate passenger trains from China to Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Korea and Vietnam, goods services to 15 European cities and invest in and help to rebuild railways in Africa. Containers carried to European cities have to be transferred many times because different and incompatible gauges are used in different areas and the same train cannot be used in the whole area.

Websites of China Railway Corporation

Official Website of China Railway Corporation

http://www.china-railway.com.cn/english/

This website will introduce some information about the China railway, such as the news, the business, international cooperation, innovations, railway museology, etc.

https://www.12306.cn/index/

This is the official website for booking train tickets. At present, it only serves Chinese. Whether you want to reserve high-speed train (Line G, Line D, Line C) or normal trains (such as Line T, Line Z, Line K), passengers can check the latest train routes and schedules, seat and fares on this website.

Popular China Train Routes

In China, train is an important mode of long-distance travel. China’s high-speed railway network is by far the longest and the most comfortable HSR in the world. Convenient railway network in China boosts train travel greatly. Traveler who like different landscapes must try to travel by train in China, because you will surprise by the drawing on the windows of the train. See below popular China train routes or contact our consultant to tailor-make your amazing China train tours!

8 Days Beijing-Xian-Shanghai Tour by Speed Train

9 Days Southern China Tour

11 Days Tibet Mount Everest Tour from Shanghai by Train

12 Days Sichuan-Tibet Train Tour

13 Days Qinghai and Tibet Train Tour from Beijing

25 Days South China Minorities Discovery by Speed Train