Overnight bullet trains offered to help more people travel home

Passengers board the overnight train G4944 at the Guiyang North Railway Station at 10:05 pm on Jan 13. [Photo/Guiyang news network]

An additional overnight high-speed train service began operating in Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, on Jan 13 to help more travelers return home during the Spring Festival travel rush season from Jan 7 to Feb 15, local media reported. 

Passengers boarded the G4944 train, which was bound for Shanghai, at the Guiyang North Railway Station at 10:05 pm, the first overnight bullet train Guiyang to operate during this year's festive travel rush. The G4944 train ran 1,789 kilometers through Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces and arrived at Shanghai Hongqiao Station at 5:42 am the next day. Usually, the Chinese railways do not run overnight bullet trains due to safety concerns. However, during the Spring Festival travel rush, railway departments add temporary overnight high-speed trains using the maintenance window to increase the transportation capacity. 

The overnight bullet train service will operate until Jan 19, and the railway department will decide whether to add trains according to the number of passengers after the Spring Festival.