Notice on Issuing the Action Plan for Increasing the Operation of Silver Hair Tourist Trains to Promote the Development of Service Consumption by 9 Units including the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and China Railway Group

Commercial Service Trade Letter [2025] No. 11

The National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the National Health Commission, the People's Bank of China, the General Administration of Financial Supervision, the State Medical Insurance Bureau, the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the All China Federation of Trade Unions, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, the All China Women's Federation, the China National Railway Group Co., Ltd., all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government and cities specifically designated in the state plan, the competent departments of civil affairs, finance, commerce, culture and tourism, the Health Commission, the Financial Supervision Bureau, the Medical Insurance Bureau, the Bureau of Traditional Chinese Medicine, trade unions, youth league committees, women's federations, the Shanghai headquarters of the People's Bank of China, branches of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government and cities specifically designated in the state plan,:

In order to thoroughly implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on developing service consumption, silver economy, and accelerating the construction of a strong tourism country, promote the integrated development of railways and tourism, enrich the supply of the tourism market, and enhance the well-being of the elderly, this action plan is formulated.

1、 Overall requirements

Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully implementing the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the 2nd and 3rd Plenary Sessions of the 20th Central Committee, implementing the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping, fully, accurately, and comprehensively implementing the new development concept, coordinating the expansion of domestic demand and deepening supply side structural reform, adhering to government guidance and market orientation, fully leveraging the advantages of China's railway network operation and safety, comfort, and convenience, improving the market-oriented operation service guarantee mechanism of tourist trains, encouraging and supporting various types of social capital to participate in the investment and operation of silver haired tourist trains, expanding service supply, actively cultivating new growth points of service consumption, and better meeting the tourism service needs of the silver haired group. By 2027, a silver haired tourism train product system covering the whole country, with diverse routes, rich themes, and comprehensive services will be established. The silver haired tourism train service standard system will be basically established, and a number of themed tourism train brands will be formed. The number of silver haired tourism trains and passenger transportation volume will achieve significant growth compared to 2024.

2、 Increase the supply of silver tourism train services

（1） Improve the mechanism for ensuring the operation of tourist trains. Develop and manage measures for the development of tourist trains, clarify the product spectrum, investment model, operation organization and other institutional norms for tourist trains, and establish and improve the operation service and guarantee mechanism for tourist trains. Optimize the operation diagram of tourist trains, promote the renovation of train bottoms that are suitable for aging, and enhance the operational capacity of tourist trains in hotspot directions. Solicit and accept the demand for the operation of silver tourism trains from the society, and provide customized product services in various forms. Pilot the market-oriented bidding operation of tourist trains on routes with tight transportation capacity, in order to optimize the allocation of scarce transportation resources. (China Railway Group and Railway Bureau Group Co., Ltd.)

（2） Encourage diversified capital to participate in investment. Encourage regions with conditions to cooperate with railway departments to develop tourist train routes and create local characteristic tourism business cards. Support and guide various business entities, including private enterprises, to participate in the development and operation of silver tourism trains and tourism railway lines, and implement market-oriented independent pricing. Support social capital to transform vehicles that meet China's railway operation safety standards according to operational needs, and entrust railway departments to provide vehicle management and operation services in accordance with market-oriented principles. Encourage and guide international brand tourism train operators and tourism enterprises to participate in the development of silver tourism trains. (Development and Reform, Business, Culture, and Tourism Regulatory Departments, China Railway Group and Railway Bureau Group Co., Ltd.)

（3） Strengthen investment and financing support for the development of tourist trains. Include the aging friendly, green, and comfortable transformation of silver tourism trains in the scope of large-scale equipment updates and consumer goods trade in support. Give full play to the incentive role of policy tools for technological innovation and technological transformation, and guide financial institutions to strengthen their support for the technological transformation and equipment update of tourist trains. Encourage the National Railway Development Fund and local railway development funds to invest in the development of silver tourism trains. Encourage places with conditions to introduce special support policies for tourist trains. (Departments in charge of development and reform, finance, culture and tourism, the People's Bank of China, financial supervision departments, China Railway Group and various railway bureau groups)

（4） Expand tourist train routes and products. Enrich the supply of silver tourism train products and establish a quality, comfort, and universal product system. Encourage enterprises in the fields of tourism, elderly care, etc. to deeply explore tourism resources along the railway, develop themed tourism routes and products for silver hair tourism trains, form a batch of institutionalized silver hair tourism trains, and create branded silver hair tourism routes. Fully tap into the potential of the existing road network, optimize the operation of routes, and increase the number of silver tourism trains during non peak hours to ensure the fulfillment rate of operation. (Civil Affairs, Culture, and Tourism Authorities, China Railway Group and Railway Bureau Group Co., Ltd.)

3、 Strengthen the guarantee of aging friendly facilities

（5） Improve the aging level of supporting equipment and facilities. Research and formulate technical standards for the aging and comfort renovation of silver tourism trains, as well as relevant standards for train services, and improve and implement the standards for the construction of barrier free facilities in new railway stations. Encourage relevant local and railway departments to carry out aging friendly renovations of key tourist destination subway stations, strengthen the construction of tourism supporting facilities, and create tourist stations with a more tourism cultural atmosphere and better provision of aging friendly services. Railway transportation enterprises should improve and renovate the infrastructure related to train stopping, maintenance, and repair according to the train operation route, tourism product design, and aging needs. (China Railway Group and various railway bureau groups, cultural and tourism authorities)

（6） Promote the aging friendly renovation of scenic area equipment and facilities. Standardize the equipment and facilities configuration of cultural and tourism venues. Improve aging friendly standards, combine with the implementation of equipment renewal actions, guide cultural and tourism venues in various regions to improve aging friendly equipment, facilities, and services, and better facilitate the travel of elderly people. Guide cultural and tourism venues to set up green channels for elderly tourists. (Development and Reform, Culture and Tourism Regulatory Department)

4、 Improve the service level of silver tourism trains

（7） Enrich train aging services. Equip a professional aging friendly service management team on the silver tourism train to systematically enhance service guarantee capabilities. Improve train medical care services, allocate appropriate medical and elderly care professional service personnel and emergency drugs. Encourage medical institutions to cooperate with railway departments to deploy medical rescue personnel on silver tourism trains. The medical expenses incurred on the train can be settled for medical insurance treatment in other places according to the registered location of the designated medical institution. Strengthen the connection between supply and demand, guide and support brand catering enterprises, well-known medical and health institutions, time-honored enterprises, performance teams, and other tourism train operators to deepen cooperation, support the boarding of characteristic foods, physical therapy and health services, time-honored products, characteristic cultural performances, intangible cultural heritage skills, and stage art videos, enrich service supply, and explore the creation of a silver haired tourism train with distinctive themes and features. (Business, culture and tourism, health, medical insurance, traditional Chinese medicine regulatory authorities, China Railway Group and various railway bureau group limited companies)

（8） Improve the quality of train services. Clarify the service price and content of the silver tourism train, smooth the channels for handling service complaints, and punish non-standard service behavior. Develop emergency response plans for elderly passengers on silver tourism trains and strengthen emergency drills. Cultivate a professional silver tourism crew team, strengthen the training of service personnel in handling emergencies and providing professional skills for elderly services. Optimize and enhance travel services, enrich train cultural life, and meet the spiritual needs of elderly passengers. Establish a sound evaluation and commendation incentive mechanism for tourism train services, actively recommend excellent service teams and train service personnel to participate in the May Day Labor Award, March 8th Red Flag Bearer (Collective), Youth Civilization Award and other selections. (Trade unions, women's federations, Communist Youth League organizations, China Railway Group and various railway bureau group limited companies)

（9） Support the deepening cooperation between tourist trains and scenic spots. Strengthen the inspection of the implementation of preferential ticket policies for the elderly in state-owned scenic spots, and guide various scenic spots to provide discounts and convenience for the travel of the silver haired group. Support the establishment and improvement of communication and cooperation mechanisms between tourist trains and scenic spots in various regions, encourage scenic spots to provide precise services such as reservations, green channels, transportation connections, and reception services for tourists, develop intelligent navigation systems suitable for the silver haired group, and enhance the tourism experience of the silver haired group in scenic spots. (Development and Reform, Culture and Tourism Regulatory Departments, China Railway Group and Railway Bureau Group Co., Ltd.)

5、 Optimize the development environment of silver tourism trains

（10） Strengthen policy coordination. Developing silver tourism trains is an important part of promoting service consumption. Railway group companies and relevant cultural, tourism, and business departments in various regions should strengthen coordination and communication, and ensure the implementation of the work. Include silver haired tourism trains in the scope of local government policies to promote consumption and serve the people, and include relevant railway catering and tourism enterprises in the scope of local catering and tourism industry policy support. Support railway transportation enterprises to apply for relevant support policies in accordance with regulations. Strictly implement the preferential policies for tickets to senior tourist attractions, and encourage local governments and scenic area authorities to increase their preferential treatment for senior tourists. (Development and Reform, Business, Culture, and Tourism Regulatory Departments, China Railway Group and Railway Bureau Group Co., Ltd.)

（11） Optimize travel insurance products. Guide insurance institutions to establish close cooperative relationships with travel agencies, medical institutions, etc., reduce the cost of silver insurance products through product innovation and economies of scale, enrich insurance products targeting the silver population, expand coverage and reach out to a wider audience, simplify claims procedures, and improve claims efficiency. (Cultural and tourism, health and hygiene regulatory authorities, financial regulatory authorities, China Railway Group and various railway bureau group limited companies)

（12） Strengthen the promotion of tourist train products. Encourage local cultural and tourism authorities, as well as business departments and various railway group limited companies, to carry out tourism train themed consumption promotion activities, promote the establishment of silver hair tourism train product zones on tourism related platforms, and enhance the visibility of silver hair tourism train related products. Support China Railway Group and tourism train operation enterprises to strengthen international cooperation and product promotion through exhibition platforms such as CIIE, Service Trade Fair, Consumer Expo, and Tourism Expo. Carry out the recommendation and selection of demonstration cases for the integration of transportation and tourism development, sort out the good experiences, models, and practices in the practice of operating tourist trains, and increase the promotion of silver tourism trains. (Business, Culture, and Tourism Regulatory Departments, China Railway Group and Railway Bureau Group Co., Ltd.)

Ministry of Commerce

Ministry of Culture and Tourism

China National Railway Group Co., Ltd

National Development and Reform Commission

treasury department

National Health Commission

People's Bank of China

State Administration for Financial Regulation

National Healthcare Security Administration

January 16, 2025

China will increase the number of silver haired tourist trains

How to facilitate elderly people's travel?

The Ministry of Commerce and 9 other units recently issued the Action Plan on Increasing the Operation of Silver Hair Tourism Trains to Promote the Development of Service Consumption. What are the considerations for implementing this action plan? What is the current status of silver tourism trains in China? What conveniences will the addition of silver haired tourist trains bring to the elderly? The Ministry of Commerce, together with relevant units, held a special press conference on the 11th to respond to external concerns.

In recent years, tourist trains have continued to develop and improve their service quality, and have been favored by 'silver haired' tourists. Currently, China's aging population continues to deepen, and the elderly consumer group continues to expand. Increasing the number of silver haired tourist trains has a positive significance for innovating tourism service supply, enhancing the well-being of the elderly, and expanding service consumption, "said Kong Dejun, Director General of the Service Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce.

What is the Silver Hair Tourist Train? How is the current operation situation?

Zhu Wenzhong, Deputy Director of the Passenger Transport Department of China Railway Group, introduced that tourist trains can be customized according to the travel needs of tourist groups, with characteristics and advantages such as flexible routes, multi-point connections, sightseeing on the way, accompanying passengers, day and night travel. Among them, the Silver Hair Tourist Train is mainly developed for elderly customers, meeting their specific needs and operating mainly for elderly customers.

It is reported that China Railway Group will organize and operate a total of 1860 tourist trains in 2024, which is the largest number of trains in history and an increase of nearly 50% compared to 2019. The main directions of operation are concentrated in popular tourist destinations and routes such as Xinjiang, Yunnan, and Heilongjiang, transporting more than 1 million tourists. Through big data analysis, elderly tourists account for nearly 80%, becoming the main customer group in the railway tourism train market.

Kong Dejun said that in recent years, relying on the advantages of railway resources, tourist trains have maintained rapid development, and brand tourist trains such as "Panda Express", "Hulunbuir Express", and "Silk Road Dream Enjoyment Express" have been continuously launched. The number of tourist trains operating on the entire railway in 2024 will increase by 47% and 20% respectively compared to 2019 and 2023. However, the overall tourism train market in China is still in the development stage, with a relatively low proportion of the number and carrying capacity of tourism trains. With the expansion of the elderly population and the release of demand for cultural and tourism consumption, the development potential of silver haired tourism trains is enormous.

What are the schedules and route maps for each department to add silver hair tourism trains?

The action plan proposes 12 key tasks around four aspects: increasing the supply of silver tourism train services, strengthening the guarantee of aging friendly facilities, improving the service level of silver tourism trains, and optimizing the development environment of silver tourism trains.

Zhu Wenzhong said, "Build a new development pattern for silver tourism trains in three years." China Railway Group plans to design more than 100 high-quality railway silver tourism routes by 2027, create 160 sets of elderly friendly special trains for silver tourism trains, and achieve a scale of over 2500 silver tourism trains. According to the goal of "one province, one train", launch a batch of high-quality railway silver tourism routes. Equip a professional aging friendly service management team, innovate aging friendly service projects, and improve train medical care services.

Promoting cooperation between silver tourism trains and tourist attractions is an important step in improving the service level of silver tourism trains. Man Hongwei, Director of the Resource Development Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, said that he will guide various regions to launch more elderly tourism routes, connect more tourist attractions that showcase the natural and cultural characteristics of each region, and enhance the attractiveness of silver haired tourism train products. On the basis of implementing preferential policies for the elderly, guide tourist attractions in various regions to introduce more preferential measures for silver haired tourism trains, such as launching ticket combination products such as railway and tourist attraction packages. Support tourist attractions in various regions to provide convenient services such as admission and transportation connections for elderly tourists, in order to enhance their travel experience.

The document proposes to include the aging, greening, and comfort transformation of silver tourism trains in the scope of large-scale equipment updates and consumer goods trade in support.

Liu Ming, Director of the Social Development Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that relevant departments will conduct in-depth and systematic investigations into old trains that are idle, inefficient, and have the potential for renovation, in order to truly understand their situation. On this basis, develop a detailed and actionable renovation plan. Especially based on the actual needs of the elderly tourist group, targeted upgrades and renovations have been made to lighting, handrails, seats, toilets, etc., making the train truly suitable and convenient for the elderly. In the application for large-scale equipment renewal projects, the Silver Tourism Train will be the focus of support in the field of culture and tourism, and the extra long term special treasury bond funding support will be increased.

Can only elderly people ride the silver haired tourist train?

The Silver Hair Tourist Train is aimed at passengers of all ages, "said Kong Dejun. Increasing the number of Silver Hair Tourist Trains is a measure to further improve aging friendly facilities and services on the basis of serving consumer groups of all ages, enhance the inclusiveness of tourist trains for elderly passengers, and enhance the well-being of the elderly. Welcome everyone to take the silver haired tourist train with the elderly and children, and share the joy of family on the train.

He also stated that increasing the number of silver haired tourist trains will not occupy peak passenger transportation periods such as the Spring Festival travel rush. The elderly have relatively ample time and flexible arrangements. The addition of silver haired tourist trains is based on this characteristic, making full use of non peak passenger transportation hours to provide more and better tourism travel services.

Zhu Wenzhong said that currently, China Railway Group is studying and revising the management measures for tourist trains, and plans to adopt more flexible differentiated pricing strategies based on seasonal differences in tourism demand, especially increasing discounts during the off-season to encourage more silver haired groups to travel during off peak hours.