Launched 18 May 2025 from Chengdu. Refitted by China Railway Chengdu Group — the southwest's first premium tourist train. 54 en-suite double cabins (108 standard seats, 132 maximum capacity). The inaugural journey carried 109 guests. Dual boarding in Chengdu and Lanzhou unlocks an 8,000 km western arc through Kashgar, Kuqa, Yili and Turpan.
Refurbished from 25G-series passenger cars, the train is China Railway Chengdu Group’s first high-end themed tourist train. Its livery follows the “Rhythms of Mountains and Rivers” (山河律动) theme — inspired by the Gongga and Xiling snow mountains — in an elegant liuli blue, with mountain-ridge contours and a hidden Sun Bird (太阳神鸟) motif that fuses eastern aesthetics with Tianfu regional culture. Interior and brand design were led by international and domestic studios including Singapore’s HBA (Hirsch Bedner Associates) and Taiwan’s Kenmer Design (肯默设计), with the panda as the core IP weaving together Sichuan, Chongqing and Guizhou folk culture.
Two 0.75 m × 2 m single beds laid out for two travellers. Dry-wet separated bathroom with Dyson hairdryer and signature amenities. Voice-controlled lighting & A/C, full-train Wi-Fi, mini-bar, 1.5 m picture window framing the passing snow-mountains, grasslands and Gobi.
From RMB 66,999Larger top-tier cabin configurable as king, twin or family mode with a sofa-bed (sleeps 2 adults + 2 children). Oversized picture window, private lounge area, mini-bar with fridge, dry-wet bathroom with Dyson hairdryer and signature amenities. Smart access, voice control, full-train Wi-Fi.
From RMB 70,999One trip traverses grasslands, snow-mountains, the Gobi and ancient Silk-Road oasis cities — Kashgar, Kuqa, Yili and Turpan — threading north and south of the Tianshan range. A curated, all-inclusive expedition across China's far west.
Two full catering cars: a working kitchen car and a 1.5 m floor-to-ceiling viewing dining car. Onboard chefs prepare everything fresh in motion. Signature banquets include the Xinjiang welcome banquet, intangible-heritage cold-water fish banquet and whole-roasted lamb banquet. Seats 54 adults + 9 children, with its own powder room.
A living salon that moves with you. Book-bar café and cinema by day; Sichuan opera face-changing, ethnic dance and live performances by night. The corridor doubles as a travelling intangible-heritage gallery exhibiting ~60 pieces across 7 categories of national heritage craft.
Four zones under one roof — KTV, mahjong parlour, coffee & light bites, mobile cinema. Built for shared moments or quiet retreats.
Eighteen dedicated butlers on call around the clock, with licensed tour guides, a vacation ambassador, on-board medical staff and the star chef brigade. Pre-arranged VIP green channels at scenic sites, exclusive Panda-branded supply stations along the route, and seamless luggage handling.
At the ends of the cabin cars, a dedicated family zone with children’s books, play facilities and temporary childcare — so parents can relax while younger travellers are looked after.
A quiet reading and tea lounge at the carriage ends for senior guests to enjoy a book and the passing scenery. The train is designed all-age friendly, from toddlers to silver travellers.
Two halves of Xinjiang. North of the range is landscape: Kanas, Hemu and the northern grasslands. South is the Silk Road: Kuqa, the ancient kingdom of Kucha, and Kashgar. A programme that covers both is the one worth the days. One note for overseas travellers: the Bayanbulak section of the Duku Highway is not open to foreign passports (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan documents travel the full route), so those sectors run on a substitute routing for foreign-passport guests. See the Xinjiang destination guide.
Giant Panda Breeding Base, Sichuan opera, world-famous cuisine. Visit pandas before departure. The ideal pre-journey city.
Gateway to Xinjiang. Grand Bazaar, Red Hill. Sichuan comfort meets frontier exhilaration.
Colour-changing lake: emerald spring, turquoise summer, deep blue autumn. Tuvan people, eagle hunters.
2026 Silk Road route: Hexi Corridor, Qinghai Lake, ancient caravan cities linking Tibet and China.
Dual boarding in Chengdu (Anjing Station) & Lanzhou. The 16-day loop runs May–October 2027, and 2028 departures are already open for booking. Guests may embark from either city, making the route convenient for travellers combining the trip with a wider China itinerary (e.g. Dunhuang, Zhangye, the middle Yellow River, or a Yangtze cruise).
The Panda Express Chengdu serves our Panda to the Frontier journey, from Sichuan panda country to the vast Xinjiang frontier.
Explore Panda to the Frontier →Life onboard →