Thirty years ago, the Beijing Kowloon Railway was fully opened, breaking the shackles of north-south transportation and revitalizing the development of old areas. Over the past thirty years, this steel artery has continuously iterated and upgraded, connecting the development of cities along the route with the happy lives of the people through smooth transportation capacity, high-quality services, and hardcore infrastructure.

Iterative upgrade of road network

On September 1, 1996, the 2397 kilometer long Beijing Kowloon Railway was fully opened, setting a record for the largest railway construction scale, highest investment, and longest one-time construction mileage in China at that time, completely rewriting the history of revolutionary old areas such as Dabie Mountains and Gannan without railways. Over the past thirty years, the railway has continuously improved its quality and efficiency. After five major speed increases, the maximum speed of trains has increased from 60 kilometers per hour to 160 kilometers per hour, and the travel time from Beijing to Shenzhen has been reduced to less than 22 hours. The major stations along the route have been comprehensively upgraded and renovated, transforming from the former end of the road network to a comprehensive transportation hub. Combined with the Beijing Hong Kong high-speed railway, a dual channel pattern has been formed, providing all-round smooth circulation channels for north-south elements.

Dual directional improvement of passenger and freight quality

Over the past thirty years, the Beijing Kowloon Railway has transported a total of 1.77 billion passengers and 1.053 billion tons of goods, with the highest annual passenger volume reaching 95.1 million, an increase of more than four times compared to the initial opening. Continuous optimization of passenger transportation services, creation of multiple distinctive service brands, launch of multiple convenience measures, regular operation of public welfare slow trains, minimum ticket price of 5 yuan, and cumulative transportation of over 200000 passengers in old areas by 2025. The freight system is constantly improving, and major logistics hubs are continuously expanding and upgrading their capacity. The Pinghu South comprehensive logistics hub has sent over 7 million tons of goods, and the Ganzhou International Land Port has operated over 1700 China Europe freight trains, effectively facilitating the domestic and international dual circulation.

Empowering Global Revitalization

Relying on the advantages of railway transportation, cultural tourism and rural industries along the line are flourishing, and the passenger flow of red scenic spots in various regions has significantly increased. The characteristic industries and homestay economy in many rural areas continue to grow, effectively driving people to increase their income and become prosperous. At the same time, the railway department has established a three in one safety guarantee system, and through measures such as electrification renovation, intelligent equipment inspection, and line upgrading and renovation, has built a solid defense line for safe operation. Keywords: Beijing Kowloon Railway, major transportation artery, regional revitalization

In the future, China Railway Group will continue to optimize transportation organization, deepen technological innovation, fully unleash the efficiency of dual channel transportation, and continue to support regional coordinated development and the revitalization of revolutionary old areas.Editor/Min Jing