From 00:00 on January 26, China’s national railway system will implement the first-quarter train timetable for 2026. Under this new timetable, multiple high-speed rail lines passing through Jiangsu Province will undergo systematic adjustments, further expanding intercity connectivity and significantly reducing travel times on certain routes, enhancing passenger convenience and regional integration.

The Shanghai-Nanjing Riverside High-Speed Railway will see a major upgrade, with the first-ever flagship high-speed services to Beijing being launched. Among them, the G751 service from Beijing South to Shanghai Hongqiao will operate at a higher average speed, stopping only at Jinan West between Beijing South and Nanjing South. As a result, travel time from Beijing South to Jintan will be reduced to four hours, and to Taicang to about five hours, marking the first direct high-speed rail connection between county-level cities along the Shanghai-Nanjing Riverside High-Speed Railway and Beijing.

In addition, Yancheng and Suqian will, for the first time, operate flagship high-speed services to Beijing. The former Shanghai Hongqiao-Beijing South G122 service will be renumbered as G68 and adjusted to run from Yancheng to Beijing South, with stops at Suqian, Xuzhou East and Jinan West.

Meanwhile, Jiangsu’s connectivity with South China has reached a new milestone. Newly added G386/3 and G384/5 services from Shanghai Hongqiao to Hong Kong West Kowloon will pass through stations including Wuxi East and Nanjing South, marking the first direct high-speed rail services from Nanjing and Wuxi to Hong Kong. The journey from Nanjing South to Hong Kong will take less than 7.5 hours, greatly facilitating exchanges between southern Jiangsu and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The coastal high-speed rail corridor has also been extended. Newly introduced G3309/G3310 services from Qingdao North to Fuzhou will operate via the Qingdao-Yancheng Railway and the Yancheng-Nantong High-Speed Railway, with stops at Lianyungang, Yancheng and Nantong West, enabling direct high-speed rail connections between Lianyungang, Yancheng and Fuzhou.

Operational efficiency on certain routes has also been improved. The EMU service from Yangzhou to Hohhot East has been upgraded to a high-speed EMU, with additional stops at Xuzhou East and Suqian. Travel time on this route has been reduced by more than 2.5 hours, making northbound journeys significantly faster.