In 2001 Duncan Peattie published the first edition of his Chinese Railway Timetable. This translates available timetable information into English, and also converts the information into the style of a British or European railway timetable, from the somewhat incomprehensible Chinese format.

The full Chinese Railway Timetable gives details for more than 2,400 trains, including every train shown in the official timetable. The timetable contains many useful features, including an index map, an index (in Pinyin and Chinese characters) to the over 900 stations shown, information about travelling by train in China and a copyable, bilingual booking form to assist with the purchase of train tickets.

The full timetable has proved popular but for many travellers, both actual and potential, it contains far more information than is required. Duncan therefore developed a Quick Reference timetable, which shows direct, generally air-conditioned trains running between a selection of major Chinese cities.

Free Quick Reference Timetable
The Quick Reference timetable is a free publication which can be downloaded free from Duncan Peattie in PDF format. You can obtain your free copy by clicking here

Full Timetable
Due to the size and complexity of the full timetable, it is not a free publication, but is made available on a non-commercial basis. The timetable is available either in printed form (size A4 or A5, comb bound, 160 pages) or as two .pdf files (email attachment size 2.8MB). To obtain a copy and see pricing details etc go to Duncan Peattie's Full Timetable Page