China to launch new national train timetable on 1 July

China will implement a new national train timetable from 1 July, with the changes including the introduction of a high-speed rail service linking the capital Beijing with Urumqi, the largest city in the far-western Xinjiang region.

The new Beijing-Urumqi high-speed connection represents a significant expansion of China's rapid rail network, bringing faster travel times between the political centre of the country and one of its most geographically remote major cities.

The July timetable revision is part of China's periodic updates to its national rail schedule, through which authorities introduce new routes and adjust existing services across the world's largest high-speed rail network.