In Chengdu and Chongqing, two Gemini megacities located in the Sichuan Basin, transportation has been a key issue connecting them. At present, the mode of transportation between the two cities is mainly railways, including the Chengdu-Chongqing high-speed railway, the Chengdu-Sui-Chongqing railway and the Chengdu-Chongqing railway. Although the Chengdu-Chongqing Railway was built 70 years ago, the design standards are low, and passenger trains have been almost completely stopped, leaving only freight trains.
In the past, there were also airplane flights between Chengdu and Chongqing, although the distance between them was only about 300 kilometers. In the glory days of the route, several airlines rushed to open flights, including Sichuan Airlines alone offering 22 flights a week, and Southwest Airlines even operating on Boeing 757 jumbo aircraft.
Especially in 2002, there was a "Chengdu-Chongqing Air Shuttle Express" flight, providing 6 flights a day, the fare was 240 yuan, passengers flocked to it, almost every flight was full. Because business is so good, Sichuan Airlines has also increased its flights to 18 per day.
However, with the operation of the "Pioneer" EMU of the Chengdu-Chongqing Railway and the subsequent operation of the Harmony EMU, the Chengdu-Chongqing route was officially suspended on November 16, 2009. Now, the Fuxing EMU of the Chengdu-Chongqing high-speed railway has become the preferred mode of transportation between Chengdu and Chongqing, which is faster, more comfortable, and even more convenient than an airplane.
However, it is worth noting that flights have been suspended for 14 years, but there are "flights" again at Shuangliu and Jiangbei airports between Chengdu and Chongqing, this time by land flights operated by the railway department. Specifically, there are now EMU trains between Chengdu Shuangliu Airport and Chongqing Jiangbei Airport, which are operated using Fuxing EMUs, providing a new travel option. Among them, Shuangliu Airport Station departs at 8:52 am and arrives at Jiangbei Airport Station at 11:12, the whole journey takes 2 hours and 20 minutes. Jiangbei Airport Station departs at 11:32 and arrives at Shuangliu Airport Station at 13:53, which takes 2 hours and 21 minutes.
It should be noted that the final arrival station is not Shuangliu Airport Station, but Emeishan Station. This journey time is longer because of the need to pick up and drop off passengers at Chongqing North, Chengdu East or Neijiangbei (Longchang North) stations in the middle, resulting in additional time consumption.
This new land flight offers a whole new way to travel, especially for those who need to travel between Chengdu and Chongqing. However, its operating hours do not seem to take fully into account the flight situation of airport flights, especially since Shuangliu Airport no longer has international flights before 8 am. Therefore, it does not appear that this land flight is designed to meet the needs of air passengers.
In summary, although land flights provide a new option for transportation between Chengdu and Chongqing, their practical convenience and applicability still need to be further improved. In any case, this innovative attempt marks the continuous development of the domestic high-speed rail field, trying to explore more travel modes to meet people's growing travel needs.
Opinion-based analysis:
This article describes the evolution of transportation between Chengdu and Chongqing, from flights in the past to high-speed rail and land flights today. This change reflects the profound impact of the development of the times and technological advances on the way people travel.
The rapid development and widespread use of high-speed rail has made short-distance travel that would otherwise require flying more convenient and economical. However, new land flights do not seem to fully consider the needs of passengers, which is a reminder that more careful consideration is needed in transportation planning and travel options to ensure a better balance between ease of travel and actual needs.
In addition, this article also reflects the continuous development of China's high-speed rail field and the courage to try new modes of travel. China's high-speed rail has emerged internationally as a model for technology and infrastructure, driving innovation in domestic and international travel modes.