On December 30th, the high-speed railway line linking Beijing and Zhangjiakou goes into operation, according to the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. The railway is 174 kilometers long, with a maximum design speed of 350 kilometers per hour.
There are ten stations along the line, including Beijing North, Qinghe, Shahe, Changping, Badaling Great Wall, Donghuayuan North, Huailai, Xiahuayuan North, Xuanhua North, Zhangjiakou.
Along with the line, a 53-kilometer branch line directly linking Beijing and Zhangjiakou's Chongli District, the site of Winter Olympic Games venues, also began service. The maximum designed speed of the train is 250 kilometers per hour, and will cut the Beijing-Chongli travel time to one hour.
Locates in north China's Hebei Province, Zhangjiakou City is a popular skiing destination and also the co-host city of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. The new high-speed rail line will help further boost the ice and snow tourism. It will also help reduce the travel time between Beijing and Zhangjiakou from currently over three hours to 47 minutes.