China State Railway Group has announced that the country’s train numbering system will undergo a comprehensive overhaul in late November and late December. High-speed trains faster than those with G prefixes will officially be designated with the prefix X (pronounced “xin,” meaning “new”). Meanwhile, the long-standing K- and T-prefixed services will shed their conventional “green train” status and be formally reclassified as electric multiple-unit (EMU) trains.
Implementation Schedule:
The train-number changes will be carried out in two phases.
The first phase will be implemented in late November and will cover conventional passenger trains, tourist trains, freight trains, and other services.
The second phase will be implemented in late December and will cover high-speed passenger trains, power-concentrated EMU passenger trains, intercity passenger trains, suburban and regional passenger trains, EMU express freight trains, and other services.
Key Adjustments and Improvements:
The new train numbering system has been comprehensively optimized. Key changes include:
The number of prefix letters used for EMU passenger trains has increased from four to seven, expanding the number of available train numbers by nearly 40%.
Following the adjustment, the prefixes X, G, T, and K will designate high-speed trains operating at over 350 km/h, 350 km/h, 300 km/h, and 200–250 km/h, respectively. D, C, and S will denote power-concentrated EMU, intercity, and suburban passenger services, respectively; Z, N, and V will represent conventional trains of different speed classes; and Y will indicate conventional tourist trains. By glancing at the first letter of the train number, passengers will be able to roughly identify the train’s speed class and service type.
✅ X, pronounced “xin” (“new”)
Designates Fuxing EMU trains with a maximum operating speed of over 350 km/h, symbolizing “new speeds and new products.” Train numbers range from X1 to X9998 and are primarily reserved for future EMU services operating at higher speed levels.
✅ G, pronounced “gao” (“high-speed”)
Designates Fuxing EMU trains with a maximum operating speed of 350 km/h. Train numbers range from G1 to G9998.
✅ T, pronounced “te” (“special”)
Designates EMU trains with a maximum operating speed of 300 km/h. Train numbers range from T1 to T9998.
✅ K, pronounced “kuai” (“fast”)
Designates EMU trains with a maximum operating speed of at least 200 km/h and no more than 250 km/h. Train numbers range from K1 to K9998.
✅ D, pronounced “dong” (“EMU”)
Designates power-concentrated EMU trains with a maximum operating speed of 200 km/h or below. Train numbers range from D1 to D9998.
✅ C, pronounced “cheng” (“intercity”)
Designates intercity EMU trains operated within the jurisdiction of a railway group company, with a maximum operating speed of 200 km/h or below. Train numbers range from C1 to C2998.
✅ S, pronounced “shijiao” (“suburban”)
Designates passenger trains operated within metropolitan areas under the jurisdiction of a railway group company, with a maximum operating speed of 160 km/h or below. Train numbers range from S1 to S2998.
✅ Z, pronounced as the English letter
Designates express passenger trains with a maximum operating speed of 160 km/h. Train numbers range from Z1 to Z1998.
✅ N, pronounced as the English letter
Designates express passenger trains with a maximum operating speed of 140 km/h. Train numbers range from N1 to N1998.
✅ V, pronounced as the English letter
Designates conventional passenger trains with a maximum operating speed of 120 km/h. Express passenger trains are numbered V1–V5998, ordinary fast passenger trains V6001–V6998, and ordinary stopping passenger trains V7001–V7998.
✅ Y, pronounced “you” (“tourism”)
Designates conventional tourist trains. Regular tourist route services are numbered Y1–Y998, while dedicated tourist trains are numbered Y1001–Y9998.
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