Starting at midnight on October 11, the national railway will implement the train operating plan for the fourth quarter of 2026.

In this adjustment, railway authorities in the Yangtze River Delta region are centering on the goal of "improving quality and increasing capacity," focusing on new passenger and freight transport market demand in the fourth quarter, coordinating and optimizing the structure of high-speed train operations, actively improving the quality of both passenger and freight train services, and making every effort to serve public travel and high-quality economic and social development.

After the adjustment, the total number of passenger trains operating in the Yangtze River Delta railway network will reach 1,435.5 pairs, an increase of 2 pairs compared with before the adjustment; the total number of freight trains will reach 1,383 pairs, an increase of 5.5 pairs compared with before the adjustment. Both the total number of passenger trains and freight trains will hit record highs.

Multiple Areas in Anhui Achieve High-Speed Rail Access to Beijing for the First Time, Leveraging New Line Corridor Capacity

Focusing on public travel demand and serving high-quality economic and social development, the new plan leverages the additional corridor capacity created after the opening of the Xiong'an-Shangqiu section of the Beijing-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway, and seizes the opportunity of Hefei West Station officially being connected to the main line as a key node on the Anhui section of the Beijing-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway, to design and operate 5 pairs of cross-line high-speed rail train products running via the new line, including Hefei West to Beijing West, Hefei to Beijing West, Huangshan North to Beijing West, and Shanghai Hongqiao to Xiong'an.

As a result, places such as Jiuhuashan in southern Anhui, Lujiang and Shouxian in central Anhui, Tongcheng in southwestern Anhui, and Bozhou in northwestern Anhui will welcome high-speed rail service to Beijing for the first time. Passengers departing from Hefei West Station, Jiuhuashan Station, Lujiang West Station, Tongcheng East Station, Shouxian Station, Gucheng East Station, and Bozhou South Station will no longer need to detour or transfer (or take conventional-speed trains) to reach Beijing, achieving direct high-speed rail access.

From this point on, a dual high-speed rail corridor between the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei metropolitan area will officially take shape, with the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway and the Xiong'an-Shangqiu section of the Beijing-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway achieving complementary corridor capacity and an overall pattern of peak-hour diversion.

It is worth noting that, as the last of the "three-station coordination" hubs in Hefei, Hefei West Station will add a large number of new northbound and southbound cross-line train services after the adjustment. Its departing passenger flow will reach direct destinations including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Qilu, and northern Henan for the first time, effectively easing the existing passenger pressure on Hefei Station and Hefei South Station, and achieving a rebalancing and further optimization of Hefei's railway passenger travel flows.

Convenient Morning and Evening Intercity Commuting, Reduced Travel Time Between Shanghai and the Chengdu-Chongqing Region

In the new plan, Yangtze River Delta railway authorities will further improve the regional train operation structure and strive to enhance passenger commuting efficiency by adding intercity commuter trains and optimizing train departure times.

To facilitate morning and evening peak commuting for residents of Shanghai, Jiaxing, Hangzhou, and other places, the new plan is scheduled to add 7 morning and evening peak commuter trains. Among them, 5 intercity morning commuter trains will be added, including Shanghai Hongqiao-Hangzhou G7635 (departing Shanghai Hongqiao at 8:25, arriving Jiaxing South at 8:52, arriving Hangzhou at 9:24), Shanghai South-Hangzhou G7637 (departing Shanghai South at 6:01, arriving Haining West at 6:39, arriving Hangzhou at 7:03), Hangzhou-Shanghai South G7638 (departing Hangzhou at 7:44, arriving Jiaxing South at 8:13, arriving Shanghai South at 8:42), Hangzhou-Shanghai Hongqiao G7640 (departing Hangzhou at 8:28, arriving Jiaxing South at 8:58, arriving Jiashan South at 9:08, arriving Shanghai Hongqiao at 9:34), and Hangzhou-Shanghai Hongqiao G7654 (departing Hangzhou at 7:01, arriving Jiaxing South at 7:30, arriving Jiashan South at 7:43, arriving Shanghai Hongqiao at 8:09); and 2 intercity evening commuter trains will be added, including Shanghai Hongqiao-Hangzhou G7639 (departing Shanghai Hongqiao at 21:12, arriving Jiaxing South at 21:40, arriving Hangzhou at 22:12) and Shanghai Hongqiao-Hangzhou G7651 (departing Shanghai Hongqiao at 20:44, arriving Shanghai Songjiang at 20:58, arriving Jiaxing South at 21:19, arriving Hangzhou at 21:52).

This adjustment also seizes the additional corridor capacity brought by the opening of the Yixing High-Speed Railway on September 28, further optimizing the operating routes of high-speed rail products between Shanghai and the southwest direction, and further shortening the time-space distance between Shanghai and Chongqing and Chengdu. The total travel time of G3390/1 from Shanghai Hongqiao to Chengdu South will be shortened by 34 minutes compared with the current fastest high-speed train, and the total travel time of G3392/89 from Chengdu East to Shanghai Hongqiao will be shortened by 77 minutes compared with the current fastest high-speed train.

Enhancing Yiwu Hub Functions and Reserving Capacity for New Lines in Multiple Areas of Northern Anhui

In the new plan, the hub function of Yiwu Station will be further enhanced. As the largest county-level railway station in Zhejiang Province, the expanded and renovated Yiwu Station will undergo moderate capacity expansion, achieving the simultaneous operation of "conventional-speed yard + Shanghai-Kunming high-speed rail yard + Hangzhou-Wenzhou high-speed rail yard," with daily passenger service trains increasing from 226 in the current plan to 272. Four lines — the Shanghai-Kunming High-Speed Railway, Hangzhou-Wenzhou High-Speed Railway, Shanghai-Kunming Railway, and Ningbo-Jinhua Railway — will intersect here, making it a core cross-line node connecting the Yangtze River Delta with the central and western regions, and linking central Zhejiang with the coastal areas of southern Zhejiang.

The new plan will reserve corridor capacity for the initial opening period of the Huaibei-Bengbu High-Speed Railway and Huaibei-Fuyang High-Speed Railway, and further increase high-speed rail train stops and passenger services in Huaibei, Suzhou, and other areas of northern Anhui.