China News Service, November 5 According to the "China Railway" WeChat public account, the national railway train schedule reform is progressing smoothly, and the first batch of train schedule changes will be implemented soon. Normal-speed passenger trains that will start running at 0:00 on November 25, and freight trains that will start running at 18:00 on November 24 will officially use the new trains. According to the 2026 version of "Train According to the "Train Arrangement Regulations", general-speed passenger trains use the prefix Z, N, and V, general-speed tourist trains use the prefix Y, and freight trains use the prefix B. Other freight trains and road trains that use no prefix arrangement have been optimized and adjusted accordingly, involving more than 4,700 passenger and freight trains. After the change, the operating sections and operating times of the new trains will remain basically unchanged. The first batch of train tickets for the new trains will be on sale starting from November 11. Among them, the tickets for the new Beijing-Shanghai Railway trains that pilot the reservation ticket purchase service will be cashed in one after another from November 6. This change in EMU train numbers remains unchanged for the time being and will be implemented in late December.
Focusing on serving economic and social development and people's better travel, the State Railway Group launched the national railway train schedule reform. Based on professional research, systematic calculation and full demonstration, adhering to the principle of train uniqueness, the overall arrangement rules of prefixes and number segments in the current 2014 version of the "Train Train Schedule Regulations" were systematically revised, forming the 2026 version of the "Train Train Schedule Regulations". The initial letters of the EMU passenger trains were changed from the original 4 The number of trains that can be arranged has increased by nearly 40%. The number of trains that can be arranged has increased by nearly 40%. The new prefix "DH" for freight trains has enriched and expanded the number segment resources that can be used for train schedules. It has reserved sufficient space for the future expansion of passenger and freight train operations and the launch of new lines, new equipment, and new products. It promotes the construction of a clearly classified, hierarchical, intuitive and easy-to-remember passenger and freight train encoding system, which facilitates passengers and cargo owners to quickly understand the content of transportation products through standardized prefixes and number segments.
In order to ensure the smooth transition of changes in the number of new and old trains, the China Railway Group organized relevant departments and units to comprehensively revise the rules and regulations involved in the change of train numbers, upgraded the signaling software and information system, and optimized and improved the functions of the railway 12306 and 95306 systems. After system testing and simulation After verification and safety assessment, the first batch of train schedule changes has met the conditions for implementation and will be officially implemented soon. It mainly involves regular-speed passenger trains, tourist trains and freight trains. The new train schedules after the change have rearranged prefixes and number segments, making the classification of passenger and freight transportation products clearer and more identifiable.
For general-speed passenger trains, the original T prefix will be adjusted to the N prefix, the original K prefix and the number segments without prefixes will be adjusted to the V prefix, and the Z prefix will remain unchanged, with only the pronunciation and some number segments adjusted. After the change, the regular-speed passenger trains use the three letter prefixes Z, N, and V: Z is pronounced according to the English letter, indicating an express passenger train with a maximum operating speed of 160 kilometers per hour, and the train numbers are Z1-Z1998; N is pronounced according to the English letter, indicating an express passenger train with a maximum operating speed of 140 kilometers per hour, and the train number is N1-N1998; V is pronounced according to English letters, indicating ordinary-speed passenger trains with a maximum operating speed of 120 kilometers per hour. Among them, the express passenger trains are V1-V5998, the ordinary passenger express trains are V6001-V6998, and the ordinary passenger slow trains are V7001-V7998.
In terms of tourist trains, the prefix Y remains unchanged and is an exclusive prefix for ordinary-speed tourist trains. Special tourist lines and special tourist trains are distinguished by numerical segments. Among them, the train numbers of ordinary-speed tourist trains are Y1-Y998, and the train numbers of ordinary-speed tourist trains are Y1001-Y9998. Passengers can choose tourism products at a glance.
In addition, when cross-border passenger trains operate in the domestic section, the relevant train schedules will be adjusted accordingly according to the 2026 version of the "Train Schedule Regulations" and based on actual conditions. For all types of trains that undertake temporary passenger transportation tasks, the train schedules use the initial letters and reserved number segments of similar products. After the train number is changed, the identification method, service content, and product experience of the original train number's light travel code, railway smoothness code, Internet ordering and other in-transit services will remain stable, and passengers can continue to use them.
In terms of freight trains, all freight train train numbers have been changed from " The digital number segments are subdivided and expressed to form product categories such as China-Europe and Central Asia trains, multimodal trains, intercity trains, and bulk direct freight trains. Each type of product arranges digital number segments from small to large according to the running speed to achieve precise matching of train numbers and logistics product functional attributes. Among them, in terms of China-Europe and Central Asia trains, the fast China-Europe trains are B2001-B2998, and the fast Central Asia trains are B3001-B3998, with a maximum operating speed of 120 kilometers per hour; the ordinary express China-Europe trains are B8001-B8998, and the ordinary express Central Asia trains are B9001-B9998, with a maximum operating speed of 90 kilometers per hour. In terms of multimodal trains, the fast multimodal trains are B201-B998, with a maximum operating speed of 120 kilometers per hour; the regular and fast multimodal trains are B4001-B5998, with a maximum operating speed of 90 kilometers per hour. In terms of intercity trains, the express intercity trains are B1-B198, with a maximum operating speed of 160 kilometers per hour; the fast intercity trains are B1001-B1998, with a maximum operating speed of 120 kilometers per hour; the general express intercity trains are B6001-B7998, with a maximum operating speed of 90 kilometers per hour. Bulk direct freight trains are still 5-digit numbers without prefixes, including heavy-duty freight trains 71001-77998, coal direct trains 80001-84998, oil direct trains 85001-85998, and the maximum operating speed is 90 kilometers per hour.
In addition, the number of road trains such as rail cars, catenary operating vehicles, large road maintenance machinery, on-road commuter trains, and rescue trains has been optimized and adjusted. The number of trains is a 5-digit pure number, and the types of road trains are refined and differentiated through digital segments.
During the transition period between the old and new trains, the China Railway Group will strengthen safety supervision and inspections, promote the new trains and provide information services, and continue to provide high-quality railway transportation services to passengers and cargo owners. The relevant train information and ticket sales on the railway 12306 and 95306 platforms will be switched simultaneously. The railway 12306 platform will display the changed new train numbers within the 15-day pre-sale period based on the starting date of the new passenger trains. The first batch of new tickets for the new train numbers will be on sale starting from November 11. The Beijing-Shanghai Railway is piloting the reservation ticket purchase service. Tickets for the new trains will be redeemed one after another starting from November 6; the railway 95306 platform will display the changed train numbers during the train booking period based on the starting date of the new freight trains. It will not affect the freight trains running in transit, and all services will remain unchanged.
Since there is a 15-day pre-sale period for train tickets, "the same train has two expressions on different dates" may occur on the Railway 12306 platform during the transition period for some passenger trains. The Railway 12306 platform will add information prompts on the APP homepage and ticket inquiry page, and at the same time increase the push of information. Major stations will timely announce new train operation status and passenger travel guidelines through broadcasts, in-station announcements, electronic displays, etc. Passengers who need to travel must check the train number, arrival and departure stations, operating time and other information in detail to avoid making mistakes in purchasing and taking the train, which will affect the itinerary.
The railway department reminded that the first batch of changed train schedule information can be inquired through the railway 12306 and 95306 websites, mobile clients, WeChat public accounts and dialing the 12306 and 95306 customer service hotlines, etc., or pay attention to the dynamic information and station announcements released by the railway departments in various places, so as to reasonably arrange the itinerary and cargo transportation matters. The second batch of train schedule changes will be implemented in late December, including high-speed passenger trains, dynamic passenger trains, intercity passenger trains, suburban (regional) passenger trains, EMU express trains and other types of trains. The railway department will release relevant information to the public in a timely manner.
