China's most mysterious high-speed train: Carrying nothing but on a vital mission, only departing at night

According to Baijiahao, high-speed railways, as an outstanding representative of China's modern infrastructure construction, are a symbol of economic growth and social development. The rise of high-speed railways in China did not happen overnight, but took decades of perseverance and effort.

In the first half of this year, China's high-speed rail system carried 1.77 billion passengers, equivalent to 22% of the global population. (Photo: Baidu)

The scale of high-speed rail projects is enormous and requires great determination and technical capacity to realize. China's high-speed rail system began construction in 2005 and now has a total length of more than 40,000km, accounting for more than 70% of the world's total high-speed rail length.

According to Baijiahao statistics, this massive high-speed rail network covers 95% of China's urban areas with populations over 500,000, connecting cities and villages, significantly reducing geographical distances.

In the first half of this year, China's high-speed rail system carried 1.77 billion passengers, equivalent to 22% of the world's population. This massive high-speed rail network provides a strong impetus and support for China's economic and social development.

No passengers but runs every day

In China's high-speed rail network, there is a very special high-speed train, called "The Guide". 

This train is different from regular high-speed trains in that it does not carry passengers or cargo, has no seats and no service staff . So what is special about this high-speed train and why is it called "The Conductor"?

The "Guide" train is painted yellow, different from the dominant white of high-speed passenger trains in China. Photo: Baidu

According to Baijiahao, the uniqueness of the "Guide" high-speed train lies in its mission: not to transport, but to ensure the safe and stable operation of high-speed railway lines.

This high-speed train departs every day at night to inspect and test the track, ensuring the safety of the high-speed rail system, paving the way for the next high-speed train. This is also the reason why high-speed rail services in China do not operate at night.

The "Guide" high-speed train is equipped with a variety of advanced monitoring devices and data collection tools, which can monitor track conditions in real time, detect potential hazards, and provide valuable data for future safe high-speed rail operations.

Due to the nature of the work, there are no ticket inspectors or service staff on this high-speed train, only the train driver and a team of technicians . These employees are responsible for monitoring, supervising and recording every small change related to the quality of the rails and infrastructure system. This is the reason why the "guide " high-speed train is not open to the public , and even if someone wanted to pay a large sum of money, they would not be able to board this train. This train is not a means of transportation but a technical tool whose mission is to ensure the safety of millions of other passengers.

The train also serves as a test of the maintenance work done by the railway staff. Every little detail of the track system, from the steel rails to the connections, must be thoroughly inspected to ensure everything is ready for a new day of operation. These jobs, though silent, are essential to ensuring passenger safety.

When the "Guide" high-speed train operates smoothly, it means that the high-speed railway lines are basically safe, which is of great significance in ensuring the safety of high-speed railway operations in the new day.

While ordinary people, the passengers, enjoy the comfort of modern high-speed trains, few people know that behind it is a complex and elaborate system, with people silently dedicating day and night to maintain the safety and efficiency of each trip. The staff working on the high-speed train "guides" are just a part of the thousands of people involved in the system of maintenance, operation and development of high-speed railways.

From seemingly simple tasks such as inspecting every detail on the rails to complex technological research, every step must be carried out accurately, seriously and responsibly. It is these efforts that have helped China not only build a safe transportation system but also become one of the world's leading countries in high-speed rail technology.

So, although the "Guide" high-speed train is not used to transport passengers or goods, its existence is extremely important.