China National Railways
China National Railways (abbr. CNR; 中華民國公有鐵路公司) is a state-owned enterprise that operates railway services under the central government of China, subject to its constitutional mandate to regulate railways spanning two or more provinces.
Fare
CNR's fare structure is based on mileage, class of travel, and added fees for express service. There are certain concessions made for return tickets and preferred travellers, such as children, students, elderly, handicapped, war veterans, certified indigents, etc.
Mileage
In principle, second class is double third class, and first class is double second or quadruple third class. Concessions are only valid against third class fares, e.g., while a holder of a war veteran concession can obtain 50% off third class fare, the same holder must still pay full fare if travelling first class.
Sleeper tickets are additional to the coach ticket—a traveller must hold both a coach and sleeper ticket of the correct class to travel on sleeper coaches. Coach tickets are tariffed per 10 km, while sleeper tickets are priced for each night.
| Coach (per 10 km, yuan) | Sleeper (per night) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Third (III) class | unpadded | 0.07 | Third (III) class | upper | 6 |
| padded | 0.08 | middle | 7 | ||
| Second (II) class | standard | 0.14 | lower | 8 | |
| recliner | 0.16 | Second (II) class | upper | 12 | |
| AC recliner | 0.18 | lower | 15 | ||
| First (I) class | 0.28 | First (I) class | 30 | ||
Added services
| Service | Surcharge | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Express | 25% | Trains nos. 101 – 500 |
| Limited express | 25% | Trains nos. 1 – 100 |
| Seat reservation | 25% | Day trains only |
| Cable | 10% | Chargeable on all first-class tickets |
| Parlor car | 50% |
Tax
VAT
- III class (unpadded coach) tickets are considered necessities and thus are exempt goods under China's value-added tax.
- III class (padded coach) tickets are subject to the reduced VAT rate of 5%.
- I and II class tickets are subject to the full rate of 20%.
- Sleeper tickets, which must be purchased to utilize a sleeper, are subject to 20% VAT.
- Added services are subject to 20% VAT.
Excise
- I class tickets, coach and sleeper, are further subject to the Excise at 20% excess value compared to the most economical alternative.
- Parlor car ticket is also subject to the Excise.
Stamp Duty
There is a stamp duty per ticket issued, at 0.05 yuan. But the III class (unpadded coach) ticket, once again being deemed a necessity, is not subject to Stamping.
Summation
| Journey | Fare |
|---|---|
| III c. unpadded, ordinary | 28.91 |
| III c. padded, ordinary | 34.69 |
| III c. middle berth, ordinary | 49.91 |
| II c. lower berth, express | 140.73 |
| I c. sleeper, limited express | 459.45 |
For example, for a journey from Shanghai to Tihua, Sinkiang, a ticket for first-class sleeper on train no. 37 would be calculated as follows:
- Mileage is 4,130 × 0.028 = 115.64
- Sleeper tickets 3 nights = 90
- Express + limited express service + telephone & telegraph + parlor car 110% surcharge on mileage = 127.204
- 20% VAT on subtotal of 332.844 = 65.57
- 20% Excise on the portion exceeding base fare of 28.91 = 60.781⁄2
- Stamp duty of 0.05 yuan on coach ticket, 3 sleeper tickets, and 1 parlor ticket = 0.25
The entire trip would cost 459.45 yuan (approx. $652.42, as of 2024), after all surcharges and taxes considered. The same journey on third class unpadded coach would cost 28.91 yuan. Travel costs for the same journey in various classes of travel are summarized at right.
Services
Long-distance services are divided into the following categories.
Peace Limited
Peace Limited (和平, ho-ping) is the name given to three pairs of long-distance sleeper trains consisting of I and II class sleeper coaches, complete with I and II c. dining car and I c. parlour car. These are the 1/2 between Shanghai = Nanking = Peking, 3/4 between Shanghai = Nanking = Hankow, and 9/10 between Peking = Hankow = Canton. The 3/4 has a ferry connection to Hakata, Japan, and the 9/10 is through-running into Hong Kong further south of Canton with a ferry connection to Siam and Malaya.
Peace Limited services first ran under this monicker in 1948 after the First Sino-Korean War which ended after the Chinese managed to recapture some territories lost since the beginning of the war, including Peking, and sued for peace. The inaugural service ran on November 27, 1948, carrying the Imperial Chancellor of Korea to the Chinese capital of Nanking for peace negotiations. CNR gathered up the nation's best rolling stock in preparation for this visit, and soon the train was put into regular service for the railroad's most distinguished passengers. The 3/4 train and 9/10 train had similar functions, each originating in an international entrepot.
Sightseer Limited
Sightseer Limited (觀光, kwan-kwang) services operate between China's major cities and consist of II class chair or sleeper rakes, II class dining coach, and observation coach. Chair rakes were used on short-distance routes, and sleeper rakes on long-distance ones.
The Sightseer was preceded by the introduction of air-conditioned II class chair coaches in 1950, under the designation of SP28000. This was the first body style that lengthened the hitherto-standard 75' long underframe to its modern length of 85'. These coaches sat 52 passengers. Air conditioning was powered by dynamos located on the coach axles. In 1952, similar technology was introduced on II class sleeper vehicles.
These long-body, all-steel coaches were first as additional coaches on the Ho-ping limited, which experienced some overcrowding from short-distance passengers. They would be attached where overcrowding was expected and detached after it resolved. Then, in 1954, CNR launched shadow trains consisting of these new air-conditioned coaches running behind the Ho-ping limited to offer added capacity.
In 1956, the SP29000 body entered service, allowing CNR to launch services independent of the established Ho-ping limited routes. Using train numbers 21 through 40, it launched five new services between 1956 and 1958, naming them "Sightseer" to collaborate with the Ministry of Transport's call for domestic tourism.
In 1954, CNR further
Reconstuction Limited
Reconstruction Limited (復興, fu'-hyeng) runs with III class sleeper rakes. These trains began running in 1975 when the Second Sino-Korean War ended, and their names reflect the policy objective of their times.
Equality and Liberty Limited-
Equality and Liberty Limited (平等, ping-teng; 自由, dzih-you) have III class chair rakes with and without reserved seating respectively. These
Rolling stock
Since the introduction of all-steel coaches in the 1950s, Chinese coaches in practice have usually been manufactured with a common underframe to enhance compatibility. The underframe is developed by the Central Railway Institute and periodically updated. The underframe is 26 m (85 ft) in length is 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in) in width.
Chair
Passenger day train stock on CNR routes are generally divided into three classes.
First class coaches have bay-style seats flanking the central corridor, with just one seat on either end of the bay. Seats are upholstered in velvet and well-cushioned; an anti-macassar in lace is placed on the headrest. Each bay is around 1,320 mm (4 ft 4 in) per side. First-class coaches have always been air-conditioned since the 1950s.
Second class coaches come in two varieties―bay-style or airline style. Bay-style seats have the same width as first-class seats but accommodate two passeners on each end of the bay, and in airline-style there is a comparable 2+2 seating pattern. There is an armrest between adjacent seats. On newer stock there is a foldable table located in the armrest. Airline-style coaches attract a slightly higher fare because those seats are reclinable. Air conditioning is available on some coaches but not others, and seats in coaches that have AC attract a higher charge; however, operational requirements sometimes require AC coaches to be used in places where non-AC is expected, and in this case passengers will not need to pay AC fares.
Third class coaches always feature bay-style seats at 660 mm (2 ft 2 in) per side. Padded seats are available for a higher fare. Padding in third class is only for the sitting surface and not the seat back, which is bare wood.
Sleeper
Sleeper train stock are also divided into three classes.
First class is provided through private cabins for single of double occupancy. In a single-occupancy room, a spring bed, bedding, pillows, and duvet is present. Unlike the more economical classes, first class bed is not foldable and always open. In the room there is also a small desk, funished with lamp, (approx 70 by 40 cm) and chair. A private lavatory is provided. In case of a double-occupancy room, a second spring bed is provided, but not an extra desk and lavatory. On most rakes that have first-class sleeper, there will also be a parlor car that functions as a sitting area for first-class passengers; this attracts an extra charge that cannot be waived.
Second class is provided with double or quadruple occupancy in couchettes with double-stacked bunks. Thus the upper bunk passenger will need to scale a ladder. The upper bunk is collapsible during daytime, and the lower bunk serves as seats for both the upper and lower bunk passengers. The coach steward issues bedding and pillows at nightfall and collects these in the morning. There is no private lavatory or desk provided in second class.
Third class has 6-people ocupancy couchettes with triple-stacked bunks. The middle bunk collapses during daytime and forms a back cushion for the passengers who are required to sit on the lower bunk during daytime. Third-class bunks are less padded than second-class ones, and bedding is provided for an extra fee. There is also no private lavatory or desk in third class.
Dining
While there are first-class and second-class dining coaches, differences are minimal. First class dining coaches often have tables for four on one side and for two on the other, resulting in wider seats and more elaborate table settings. Second-class dining coaches would typically have tables for four on both sides. It is common to find a first-second composite dining car, with separate sections for first- and second-class ticket holders.
There is no formal dining coach specifically for third-class tickets, but there are food options on trains for these passengers as well. The restaurant coach, if present on the same train, will prepare take-out items which can be eaten at seat by holders of third-class tickets. Where there is no dining coach, there is often a snack peddler walking up and down the rake retailing small food items; during meal times, peddlers often sell hot lunchboxes. In the 1990s, CNR also introduced a buffet coach, which sells ready-made food items and may have some seats for their consumption.
Railway food has always been considered a luxury, and even a hot lunchbox 10¢ often costed upwards of a day's wages for unskilled labourers. It was thus common until the modern period for less wealthy travellers to bring provisions for railway travel in the form of biscuits, rice cakes, etc.
Parlor car
Originally, parlor cars are attached to long-distance sleeper trains so that first-class sleeper passengers have a common area for relaxation during daytime, instead of being confined always in their cabins. Later the practice spread to long-distance day trains as well. In neither case are the seats in the parlor car available to passengers who do not already hold a first-class ticket on the same train.
The interior of parlor cars are luxuriously appointed and consist of sofas and armchairs in various arrangements, permitting solitary or shared seating for individuals and groups of passengers. All current parlor cars also feature a bar serving alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Ticketing
China currently relies on the Diamond-II ticketing system, which combines seat reservation and ticketing functionality. The Diamond-II system is distributed from a centralized computer system located at the Central Ticketing Office (CTO) and through dumb terminals located at each station. A previous iteration of the system was introduced in 1968 as Diamond-I but only reached a handful of major stations. The Diamond-II system replaced Diamond-I in 1990.