Guangzhou Railway Group Corp. has started to operate five pairs of high-speed trains between Meizhou and Shenzhen after the Meizhou-Shantou high-speed rail line is put into use today.
The operator has also adopted a flexible fare system with discounts of between 10 and 40 percent based on the train sections and times.
In the initial stage of operation, riders between Shenzhen and Meizhou can get 25 percent off the ticket price. The price is 161 yuan (US$23) for a seat in the economy carriage.
A total of 44 trains will run on the Meizhou-Shantou railway every day between Meizhou and Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shantou, Zhuhai, Xiamen and Yichang.
The opening of the high-speed railway cuts the trip between Shenzhen and Meizhou to 3.5 hours. The fastest train will take two hours and 52 minutes.
The earliest train, D7314, leaves Shenzhen at 6:30 a.m. and arrives at Meizhou West Station at 9:55 a.m. The latest train, G6357/60, from Guangzhou to Meizhou passes through Shenzhen at 9:20 p.m. and arrives at Meizhou at 12:15 a.m. the next day.
Passengers from Meizhou can take train G6351/0 to Guangzhou at 6:35 a.m. and arrive at Shenzhen North Railway Station at 9:45 a.m.
Meizhou-Shantou High-speed Railway runs 122 kilometers through seven stations and ends at Chaoshan Station, the interchange station with Shenzhen-Xiamen High-speed Railway. Trains on the rail line can run at a speed of 250 kilometers per hour. Currently, it takes almost five hours to drive from Shenzhen to Meizhou and a train trip used to take more than six hours.
Passengers scan their ID cards on the turnstiles at the Meishou West Railway Station.
The railway brings Guangdong's eastern and northeastern cities into a three-hour living circle with Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Meizhou and Heyuan are the last two prefecture-level cities in Guangdong without high-speed rail service.
In 2020, when Shenzhen-Ganzhou High-speed Railway is put into use, Heyuan will also have joined China's high-speed rail network.
Meizhou has a population of 5.14 million. Known as the "Hakka Capital of the World," the city is home to millions of Hakka people whose ancestors are believed to have moved from Central China to the south centuries ago.