Ruijin-Yan’an High-Speed Rail Tickets Go on Sale, Service Starts September 6
Tickets for the new direct high-speed rail line connecting Ruijin and Yan’an went on sale at 23:00 on August 28 via the 12306 railway ticketing system, with regular service set to begin on September 6, according to Xinhua News. The route marks the first direct high-speed rail connection between two of China’s most historically significant revolutionary heritage sites.
A Historic Connection
The new service, operated by China Railway Nanchang Group, will run as train G3998/5/8, departing Ruijin Station at 11:02 and arriving at Yan’an Station at 22:34, completing the 11-hour-32-minute journey across central China. The train will make stops at 14 stations along the way, including Nanchang West, Wuhan East, and Xi’an East.
Ruijin, located in Jiangxi Province, is known as the “Cradle of the Republic” — it served as the capital of the Chinese Soviet Republic from 1931 to 1934 and was the starting point of the Long March. Yan’an, in northern Shaanxi Province, was the headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party from 1935 to 1948, where Mao Zedong and other leaders directed the revolution for 13 years. The route effectively traces the historical arc of the Chinese revolution.
Building the Corridor
The direct connection became possible only after the sequential completion of several major high-speed rail projects that created a seamless north-south corridor. The Changgan, Ganshen, and Anjiu high-speed rail lines, opened between 2019 and 2021, established the Beijing-Hong Kong corridor through Jiangxi. Then, in December 2025, the Xi’an-Yan’an high-speed rail brought Yan’an into the national high-speed rail network for the first time, with the opening pushing China’s total HSR mileage past 50,000 kilometers, as Xinhua reported.
In June 2026, the Xi’an-Shiyan high-speed rail opened, completing the Wuhan-Xi’an corridor through the Qinling Mountains and reducing Xi’an-to-Wuhan travel to just 2 hours 41 minutes, according to CCTV News. With these lines seamlessly linked, a direct, non-stop high-speed route from Gannan in southern Jiangxi to northern Shaanxi was finally achieved.
Responding to Growing Demand
A railway official from the Nanchang Railway Bureau explained that exchanges between the former Central Soviet Area and the revolutionary old base in northern Shaanxi have grown increasingly close in recent years. Passenger flows for red study tours, Party-building exchanges, family visits, migrant work, and business travel have continued to rise, making the demand for point-to-point direct travel between the two regions increasingly urgent.
“To respond to the people’s expectations and smooth the linkage development channel between revolutionary old areas, the railway department optimized capacity allocation and adjusted operating routes, officially launching the direct high-speed rail from Ruijin to Yan’an,” the official said.
Part of a Broader Trend
The Ruijin-Yan’an route is the latest in a series of direct high-speed rail connections linking China’s revolutionary heritage sites. In January 2026, Yan’an gained its first direct high-speed rail service to Beijing, followed by direct connections to Nanning and Zunyi. On July 1, 2026, a direct high-speed rail began connecting Shaoshan — the birthplace of Mao Zedong — to Yan’an, an 8-hour-18-minute journey across three provinces, as Shaanxi Daily reported.
These connections are driving significant growth in “red tourism.” After the Xi’an-Yan’an high-speed rail opened, Yan’an received 475,300 visitors during the first New Year’s holiday, generating 284 million yuan in tourism revenue, according to China Tourism News. The new rail links have enabled “fast travel, slow experience” tourism models, with themed trains featuring red culture education and local cultural performances.
What to Watch For
When regular service begins on September 6, the Ruijin-Yan’an high-speed rail is expected to further boost red tourism between the two regions, strengthen economic ties between southern Jiangxi and northern Shaanxi, and enhance people-to-people exchanges between two foundational chapters of modern Chinese history. The route also underscores China’s broader strategy of using modern infrastructure to connect heritage sites, promote regional development, and reduce disparities between revolutionary base areas and major economic centers.
As China’s high-speed rail network continues to expand, the connection between the “Cradle of the Republic” and the “Sacred Revolutionary Heartland” stands as a powerful symbol of how infrastructure can bridge not just distance, but history itself.