China plans to launch more special tourist trains for seniors as the country continues to promote services consumption, and the newly launched trains will not overlap with peak passenger periods such as the Spring Festival travel rush, the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday.
Seniors generally have relatively flexible and ample leisure time, and the addition of tourist trains will make full use of nonpeak transportation periods to provide better services for elderly travelers, the ministry said.
"The launch of the special tourist trains for seniors represents a measure to further improve elderly friendly facilities and services and improve the well-being of the graying demographic, while the trains will also provide services for consumers of all age groups," said Kong Dejun, director of the department of trade in services and commerce services at the ministry.
As China continues to expand large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-in programs, the government plans to incorporate the transformation of trains designed for senior travelers into the scope of the programs, according to a new guideline issued by nine entities including the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and China State Railway Group Co Ltd on Tuesday.
China has the world's largest passenger railway network, and the development of tourist trains has been rapid, while the operation of such trains in the country is still in its development stage. The number of tourist trains operated in 2024 grew by 20 percent over the previous year, the commerce ministry said.
As of the end of last year, China's aging population — those aged 60 and above — exceeded 300 million, said the National Bureau of Statistics.
"With the expansion of the elderly population and their growing demand for cultural and tourism consumption, the growth potential of tourist trains for seniors is huge," Kong said.
Tourist trains boast features such as flexible routes and multipoint connections, and they usually operate at night. By 2027, China aims to complete the design of more than 100 high-quality railway routes for elderly tourism, with the operational scale of such trains expected to exceed 2,500 trains annually, China Railway said.
In 2024, China operated a total of 1,860 tourist trains nationwide, a record high, and the number jumped nearly 50 percent over the pre-pandemic period in 2019, the company said.
"The main operation directions of these trains are concentrated in popular tourist destinations and routes such as the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, as well as Yunnan and Heilongjiang provinces. Last year, the tourist trains handled more than 1 million passenger trips," said Zhu Wenzhong, deputy director of the passenger transportation department at China Railway.
He added that China Railway will renovate the equipment and facilities of the tourist trains, highlight the theme of the trains, and optimize the size and layout of the berths, seats and restrooms of passenger trains to make them senior-friendly. The trains will also add necessary facilities such as handrails, oxygen cylinders, first aid equipment and emergency call buttons.
