GSH Guangshen Railway Co Ltd

Overview

We were established as a joint stock limited company under the Company Law of the PRC on March 6, 1996, and have conducted our business for twenty-one years. Our legal name is , and its English translation is Guangshen Railway Company Limited. Our registered office is located at No. 1052 Heping Road, Luohu District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, The People’s Republic of China, 518010. Our telephone number is (86-755) 2558-8150 and our fax number is (86-755) 2559-1480.

In May 1996, our H shares (stock code: 00525) were listed on the HKSE and our American Depositary Shares, or ADSs (ticker symbol: GSH), were listed on the NYSE. Our A shares (stock code: 601333) were listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in December 2006. We are currently the only PRC railway enterprise with shares concurrently listed in Shanghai, Hong Kong and New York.

We are mainly engaged in passenger and freight transportation businesses on the Shenzhen-Guangzhou-Pingshi Railway, which is 481.2 kilometers long, running vertically through Guangdong Province. The Guangzhou-Pingshi Railway is the southern part of Beijing-Guangzhou Railway, which connects Northern China with Southern China. The Guangzhou-Shenzhen Railway is strategically located and links with major railway networks in China, including the Beijing-Guangzhou, Beijing-Kowloon, Sanshui-Maoming, Pinghu-Nantou, and Pinghu-Yantian lines, as well as to the Kowloon Canton Railway in Hong Kong, which is an important component of the transportation network of southern China, as well as the one of the main railway channels linking Hong Kong with Mainland China.

Passenger transportation is our principal business. As of December 31, 2017, there were 251 pairs of passenger trains in our operation area according to the then train schedule, including 107 pairs of intercity high-speed passenger trains between Guangzhou and Shenzhen (including 97 pairs of inter-city trains between Guangzhou East to Shenzhen (including 22 stand-by pairs), 10 pairs of Guangzhou East to the Chaozhou-Shantou cross-network EMU trains), 13 pairs of Hong Kong Through Trains (including 11 pairs of Canton-Kowloon Through Trains, 1 pair of Zhaoqing-Kowloon Through Trains and 1 pair of Beijing/Shanghai-Kowloon Through Trains) and 131 pairs of long-distance trains (including 12 pairs of Guangzhou-Foshan-Zhaoqing intercity trains, 3 pairs of Guangzhou to Guilin North, NaningEast and Guiyang North cross-network EMU trains). We have adopted an “As-Frequent-As-Buses” operating model by dispatching one pair of our domestically manufactured electric multiple units trains, known as “China Railway High-Speed trains” or “CRHs,” every 10 minutes on average during peak hours between Guangzhou and Shenzhen. The through-trains passing Hong Kong jointly operated by us and the MTR Corporation Limited (“MTR”) are one of the most important means of transportation between Guangzhou and Hong Kong. We have organized and operated a number of long-distance trains running from and to Guangzhou and Shenzhen that linked with most of the provinces, autonomous regions and municipals across the nation.

Freight transportation is another important segment of our business. We are well-equipped with comprehensive freight facilities and are able to efficiently transport full load cargo, single load cargo, containers, bulky and overweight cargo, dangerous cargo, fresh and live cargo, and oversized cargo. Our rail lines operated are closely knitted with the major ports in Guangzhou and Shenzhen and are connected to several large industrial zones, logistics zones and plants and mines in the Pearl River Delta region via the railroad sidings. The major market of our freight transportation business is domestic mid-to long-distance transportation, and we enjoy competitive advantages in domestic mid-to long-distance freight transportation.

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We have extended our passenger and freight transportation business to include railway operation services with the commencement of Wuhan-Guangzhou Passenger Railway Line in December 2009. As of the date of this annual report, we have provided such services to Wuhan-Guangzhou Passenger Railway Line Co., Ltd., Guangdong Guangzhou–Zhuhai Inter-city Railway Traffic Co., Ltd., Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link Company Limited, Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway Company Limited, Xiamen-Shenzhen Railway (Guangdong) Company Limited, Ganzhou-Shaoguan Railway Company Limited, Nanning-Guangzhou Railway Company Limited, Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Company Limited and Guangdong Pearl River Delta Inter-city Railway Traffic Company Limited. With the successful completion and commencement of operation of a series of high-speed railways and inter-city railways in the “Pan Pearl River Delta,” our geographical coverage of railway operation service will be more extensive.

Background, Restructuring and Acquisition

The railroad system between Guangzhou and Shenzhen was part of the original “Canton-Kowloon” railroad, which began operations in 1911. In 1949, following the establishment of the PRC, the railroad was divided into two sections, with the first linking Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and the second, across the Hong Kong border and separately owned, linking Luohu and the Kowloon peninsula in Hong Kong. The Guangzhou to Shenzhen railroad has been operated since 1949 by a sub-division of the Guangzhou Railway Bureau, a predecessor to GRGC.

In 1979, Guangshen Railway Company, our predecessor, in conjunction with Kowloon–Canton Railway (“KCR”), which has been merged into the MTR, was engaged in the joint operation of Hong Kong Through Train passenger services between Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

In 1984, to exploit the rapid growth in the Pearl River Delta, Guangshen Railway Company, our predecessor, was established pursuant to the approval of the State Council as a state-owned enterprise administered by the Guangzhou Railway Bureau. At that time, Guangshen Railway Company had only a single-line railroad. Since then, large capital expenditures have been made to expand and upgrade its facilities and services. In 1987, construction of the second line was completed. In 1991, Guangshen Railway Company began the construction of a semi-high-speed rail line and purchased locomotives and passenger coaches, which can provide passenger train services at speeds of more than 160 kilometers per hour. Commercial operation of the EMUs commenced in December 1994.

We were established as a joint stock limited company on March 6, 1996 following the Restructuring, which was carried out to reorganize the railroad assets and related businesses of Guangshen Railway Company and certain of its subsidiaries. As part of the Restructuring, 2,904,250,000 state legal person shares, par value RMB1.00 per share, of our Company were issued to GRGC, a state-owned enterprise controlled by the MOR. Guangshen Railway Company retained the assets, liabilities and businesses not assumed by us, including units providing staff quarters and social services such as health care, education, public security and other ancillary services, as well as subsidiaries or joint ventures whose businesses do not relate to railroad operations and do not compete with our businesses. As part of our Restructuring, Guangshen Railway Company was renamed Guangzhou Railway (Group) Guangshen Railway Enterprise Development Company.

Since April 1, 1996, we have been able to set our own prices for our EMU train services and charge a premium over average national prices for our other passenger and freight train services. See “ITEM 4. INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY—B. Business Overview—Regulatory Overview—Pricing” for a more detailed description of our pricing scheme.

We completed our initial public offering of class H ordinary shares, or H shares, and our American depositary shares, or ADSs, in May 1996. In that offering, we issued a total of 1,431,300,000 H shares, par value RMB1.00 per share. Our H shares are listed for trading on the HKSE and our American depositary shares, or ADSs, each representing 50 H shares, are listed for trading on the NYSE.

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On November 15, 2004, we entered into an asset purchase agreement with Yangcheng Railway Company to acquire the railway transportation business between Guangzhou and Pingshi and related assets and liabilities, or the Acquisition. In order to finance such Acquisition, on December 13, 2006, we issued 2,747,987,000 A shares that are now listed for trading on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (stock code: 601333) and raised approximately RMB10.0 billion from the A Share Offering. After the A Share Offering, approximately 41% of our issued and outstanding shares were owned by GRGC, while institutional and public shareholders own approximately 59% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, including A shares, H shares and ADSs.

On December 28, 2006, we paid RMB5.27 billion out of the proceeds raised from the A Share Offering to Yangcheng Railway Company. On January 1, 2007, the railway transportation business of the Guangzhou-Pingshi Railway came under our control as a result of the Acquisition. As a result, our operations expanded from a regional railway to a national trunk line network and our operating railway distance extended from 152 kilometers to 481.2 kilometers, running vertically through the entire Guangdong Province. In June 2007, we paid the remaining balance in the amount of RMB4.87 billion to Yangcheng Railway Company.

In April 2010, in order to further reduce our administrative expenses and improve the overall efficiency of our administration system, we made efforts to optimize our internal management structure, including establishing the General Administrative Department, the Human Resources Department, the Planning and Finance Department, the Operation Management Department and the Audit Department, each of which is under the supervision of our general manager, and outsourcing all other administrative functions to external service providers.

On November 30, 2013, we entered into an agreement to acquire the freight service business and related assets of China Railway Express Co., Ltd. Guangzhou Branch (“CREC”) and China Railway Container Transport Co. Ltd. Dalang Processing Station (“CRCT”), the subsidiaries of the CRC which operate freight service business. The purchase considerations for CREC and CRCT were approximately RMB102.3  million and RMB79.9  million, respectively. On the same day, control of the assets and operations of CREC and CRCT were transferred to us. The results of the operations of the above-mentioned entities have been included in our consolidated comprehensive income statement from November 30, 2013 onwards.

On May 29, 2014, we entered into an agreement with Guangzhou Railway (Group) Company Guangzhou Railway Economic Development Co., Ltd. to acquire certain assets and liabilities in relation to the freight service business. The total amount of assets were RMB161.7 million and total amount of liabilities were RMB39.3 million. The purchase price was approximately RMB122.4 million.

On October 20, 2014, we entered into an agreement with Guangzhou Railway (Group) Guangshen Railway Enterprise Development Company to acquire approximately an additional 17.7% equity interest in Zengcheng Lihua Stock Company Limited (“Zengcheng Lihua”). The purchase price was approximately RMB 4.7  million. Upon the completion of the acquisition, we held an aggregate of approximately 44.7% equity interest in Zengcheng Lihua. On February 12, 2015, we obtained control of Zengcheng Lihua and began to consolidate its financial statements from that date.

On October 26, 2016, we entered into agreements to acquire certain railway operating assets of GRGC, Guangmeishan Railway Company Limited (“GRCL”) and Guangdong Sanmao Railway Company Limited (“GSRC”). GRCL and GSRC are subsidiaries of GRGC which operates passenger and freight transport service business. The purchase prices to GRGC, GRCL and GSRC were approximately RMB28,657,000, RMB453,658,000 and RMB249,677,000, respectively. On October 26, 2016, we obtained control of the above-mentioned railway operation assets and began to consolidate the results of operations of GRGC, GRCL and GSRC in our consolidated comprehensive income statement from that date.

Service Territory

Our rail lines traverse the Pearl River Delta and also run vertically through Guangdong Province, an area which benefited early from the PRC economic reform policies that began in the late 1970s. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, the economy of the Pearl River Delta, fueled by foreign investments, grew rapidly. The Pearl River Delta is currently one of the most affluent and fastest growing areas in China.

As of April 25, 2018, we had 48 stations situated on our rail lines, providing passenger and freight transportation services for cities, towns and ports situated along the Shenzhen-Guangzhou-Pingshi corridors and Hong Kong Through Train passenger service, which we serve in conjunction with the MTR. We also provide railway operation services to other Chinese domestic railway companies.

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The Shenzhen-Guangzhou-Pingshi railroad is an integral component of the PRC national railway network, and provides nationwide access to passenger and freight traffic from southern China to other regions of mainland China as described below:

Northbound . At Pingshi, our rail line connects with the Beijing-Guangzhou line, which is one of the major trunk lines linking southern China with Beijing and northern China. Another trunk line connecting northern and southern China, the Beijing-Hong Kong rail line, includes the section of our line from Dongguan to Shenzhen.

Southbound . Our line connects at Shenzhen with the rail line owned by the MTR that runs to Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Westbound . Our line connects with the Guangzhou-Maoming rail line operated by GSRC, a company in which GRGC holds a 49.1% equity interest, which runs through the western part of Guangdong Province, connecting with other rail lines that continue on into the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which provides access to southwestern China. Nanning-Guangzhou Railway and Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway commenced operation on December 26, 2014, which are connected with our line at Guangzhou Station since May 2016 by three EMUs operating between Guangzhou and Guiyang North, Guangzhou and Nanning East, and Guangzhou and Guilin North. Nanning-Guangzhou Railway is owned by Nanning-Guangzhou Railway Company Limited, a subsidiary of Nanning Railway Bureau of CRC. Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway is owned by Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Company Limited, a subsidiary of Chengdu Railway Bureau of CRC. We provide the operational services to Nanning-Guangzhou Railway and Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway. Our line also connects with Guangzhou-Foshan-Zhaoqing Intercity Railway, which commenced operation on March 30, 2016 and was jointly invested by Guangdong Provincial Railway Construction Investment Group Co., Ltd. and the CRC.

Eastbound . Our line connects with the Guangzhou-Meizhou-Shantou rail line and Xiamen-Shenzhen rail line. Guangzhou-Meizhou-Shantou rail line is operated by GRCL, a company in which GRGC holds a 78.2% equity interest. A section of this line forms, along with our Dongguan to Shenzhen segment, a part of the Beijing-Hong Kong rail line, which terminates in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The section of Xiamen-Shenzhen rail line in Guangdong Province is owned by Xiamen-Shenzhen Railway (Guangdong) Company Limited, a subsidiary of GRGC. We provide the operational services to Xiamen-Shenzhen Railway (Guangdong) Company Limited. At Pinghu, our rail line connects with two local rail lines: one of them, Pingnan Railway, principally serves three ports located in western Shenzhen—Shekou, Chiwan and Mawan, which is under renovation and expansion to add passenger transport and sea-railway cargo transport capabilities in the future—and the other, Pingyan Railway, serves Yantian port, an international deep-water port located in eastern Shenzhen. At the Huangpu and Xiayuan stations in Guangzhou, our line connects with Huangpu port and Xinsha port. Our rail line also connects with certain industrial districts, commercial districts and the facilities of many of our customers through spur lines, which are rail lines running off the main line that are used and typically financed by a freight customer or a group of freight customers and maintained by us for a fee. We believe that the customers connected to these spur lines and customers with goods that must be shipped through these regional ports are likely to use our services on a long-term basis.

Capital Expenditure

Our capital expenditure includes payments for acquisition of fixed assets and construction-in-progress, and prepayments for fixed assets, net of related payables. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, our total capital expenditure were RMB1,292.3 million, RMB1,973.9 million and RMB2,273.4 million, respectively.

For more information concerning the Company’s principal capital expenditure and divestitures currently in progress, including the distribution of these investments geographically and the method of financing, see “ITEM 5. OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources” and “ITEM 5. OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS—F. Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations.”

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Business Operations

Our principal businesses are railroad passenger, transportation, freight transportation, railway network usage and other transportation-related services, which collectively generated 94.3% of our total revenue in 2017. The remaining 5.7% of our total revenue in 2017 mainly consisted of on-board catering services, leasing, sales of materials and supplies, sale of goods and other businesses related to railway transportation.

Due to deepening structural reform in supply, the steady improvement of the domestic economy, the addition of cross-network EMU trains between Guangzhou East and Chaozhou-Shantou between February 2016 and September 2017, and our ongoing strengthened marketing efforts in freight transportation, our passenger and freight transportation business bounced back in 2017 following a decline in 2016. As the Company seeks to continue to increase its revenue, the we will seek to capitalize on an historic opportunity presented by the extensive railway construction, proactively adapt to the policy direction of railway system reform in order to establish a steadfast foothold in the Pan Pearl River Delta, and perfect and enhance its business portfolio centered on railway passenger and freight transportation and complemented by the railway-related businesses. We will also focus on improving quality of and innovation around management, service and technology.

In 2017, we achieved a passenger delivery volume of 85.1 million persons, representing a year-to-year increase of 0.3%; a tonnage of outbound freight of 15.9 million tons, representing a year-to-year decrease of 3.3%; generating operating revenues of RMB18,331 million, representing a year-to-year increase of 6.1%; consolidated profits attributable to equity holders of RMB1,015 million, representing a year-to-year decrease of 12.3%; and basic earnings per share of RMB0.14.

The table below summarizes our railroad and related business revenue and traffic volume for the periods indicated:

Passenger Transportation

Passenger transportation is our largest business stream, accounting for 42.3% of our total revenue and 44.9% of our railroad and related business revenue in 2017. Our passenger train services can be categorized as follows:

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As of December 31, 2017, there were a total of 251 pairs of passenger trains in our operation area according to the then train schedule (each pair of trains meaning trains making one round-trip between two points), representing a decrease of 2 pairs from 253 pairs as of December 31, 2016, of which:

Long-distance trains also included domestic long-distance trains that are operated by other operators but originate or terminate on, or pass through, our railroad.

The table below sets out passenger transportation revenue and volumes for our Hong Kong Through Trains and domestic trains for each of the periods indicated:

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Guangzhou-Shenzhen Trains . In 2017, our passenger transportation services on the trains between Guangzhou and Shenzhen accounted for 33.1% of our railroad passenger transportation revenue. As of December 31, 2017, we operated 107 pairs of intercity CRH passenger trains between Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Such CRH passenger trains are capable of running at a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour. The number of passengers traveling on our Guangzhou-Shenzhen trains increased by 2% from 36.2 million in 2016 to 36.9 million in 2017. The revenue from our Guangzhou-Shenzhen trains increased by 6.4% from RMB2,413.0 million in 2016 to RMB2,566.4 million in 2017. The increase in revenue of Guangzhou-Shenzhen trains was primarily due to: (i) the recommencement of inter-city passenger transportation business at Pinghu Railway Station since September 26, 2016, (ii) the commencement of the service of seven pairs of cross-network EMU trains between Guangzhou and Chaozhou-Shantou between February 2016 and September 2017, and the revenue from such trains is accounted for in the revenue from Guangzhou-Shenzhen trains, (iii) the increase in ticket prices in April 2017 for Guangzhou East to Chaozhou-Shantou EMU trains, which led to a revenue increase.

Hong Kong Through Trains . In 2017, our passenger transportation services on Hong Kong through trains accounted for 6.7% of our railroad passenger transportation revenue. We currently operate, jointly with the MTR, 13 pairs of Hong Kong Through Trains (including 11 pairs of Canton-Kowloon Through Trains, 1 pair of Zhaoqing-Kowloon Through Trains and 1 pair of Beijing West/Shanghai-Kowloon Through Trains). The MTR is responsible for the operation of 3 pairs of Canton-Kowloon Through Trains while we are responsible for the remaining 10 pairs of Hong Kong Through Trains (except for the Shanghai-Kowloon Through Train which is operated by Shanghai Railway Bureau). In addition, we also provide railway network usage services to MTR for the Hong Kong Through Trains it operates in the section between Shenzhen Station and Guangzhou East Station.

The Hong Kong Through Train services beyond Guangzhou to Shanghai are provided by Shanghai Railway Bureau. Revenue from these Hong Kong Through Trains on the Guangzhou-Hong Kong section is shared between MTR and us, in proportion to our track mileage for the Hong Kong Through Train services, with 81.2% accruing to us and 18.8% to MTR. In addition, we share all related costs with MTR at the same rate for the Hong Kong Through Train services.

Most of the passengers taking our Hong Kong Through Trains are from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan regions and foreign countries, and many are business travelers. As the prices for our Hong Kong Through Train services are higher than the prices we charge for our domestic train services, these Hong Kong Through Train services produce higher per-passenger revenue than our other passenger train services.

In 2017, the volume of passengers who traveled on the Hong Kong Through Trains increased by 2.9% from 3.5 million in 2016 to 3.6 million in 2017. The revenue from Hong Kong Through Trains decreased by 0.1% from RMB528.3 million in 2016 to RMB523.4 million in 2017. This increase in passenger volume was mainly due to the recovery of Hong Kong tourism, including more visitors from the mainland. This decrease in revenue was mainly due to the falling exchange rate from RMB to Hong Kong dollars.

Domestic Long-distance Trains . In 2017, our passenger transportation services on domestic long-distance trains accounted for 54.2% of our railroad passenger transportation revenue. As of December 31, 2017, we operated on a daily basis 131 pairs of long-distance trains on our rail lines to cities in Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Shaanxi, Gansu, Fujian, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Zhejiang, Hebei, Henan, Sichuan, Yunnan, Hainan, Shanxi and Shandong provinces, Chongqing, Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin municipalities and Guangxi Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Autonomous Region and Tibet Autonomous Region. In 2017, the number of passengers traveled on our long-distance trains was 44.6 million, representing a decrease of 1.3% from 45.2 million in 2016. Our revenue from long-distance trains in 2017 was RMB4,206.2 million, compared to RMB4,019.3 million in 2016. The decrease of the passenger volume of long-distance trains was primarily due to the railway’s diversion effect, which has resulted in a continuous decrease of passenger volume of long-distance trains. The increase in revenue of long-distance trains was primarily due to the commencement of the service of one pair of long-distance trains between Shenzhen and Urumqi.

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Major Stations . The following are the major train stations owned and operated by us as of December 31, 2017:

Freight Transportation

Revenue from our freight transportation accounted for 10.3% of our total revenue and 10.9% of our railroad and related business revenue in 2017. Our principal market for freight is domestic medium and long-haul freight, originating and/or terminating outside the Shenzhen-Guangzhou-Pingshi corridor. We are well equipped with various freight facilities and can efficiently transport full load cargo, single load cargo and containers. We have established business cooperation with ports, logistics bases and specialized building materials markets in our service region.

The majority of the freight we transport is high-volume, medium to long-distance freight received from and/or transferred to other rail lines. A portion of the freight we transport both originates and terminates in the Shenzhen-Guangzhou-Pingshi corridor. We classify our freight business into three categories:

Revenue from freight transportation business in 2017 was RMB1,893.6 million, an increase of 10.2% from RMB1,718.3 million in 2016. The total tonnage of freight we transported in 2017 was 52.2 million tons, representing an increase of 7.4% from 48.6 million tons in 2016. The increase in freight transportation revenues and freight volumes was mainly due to deepening structural reform in supply, the steady improvement of the Chinese domestic economy, our ongoing marketing efforts, and the rebound of freight railway delivery of bulk goods such as iron ore and coal.

We serve a broad customer base and ship a wide range of goods in our freight transportation business. We are not dependent upon any particular customers or industries. We transport a broad range of goods, which can generally be classified as follows: metal ores, coal, containers, construction materials, steel, petroleum, and other goods.

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The majority of our inbound freight consists of raw materials and essential production materials for manufacturing, industrial and construction activities, while the majority of our outbound freight consists of imported mineral ores as well as coal and goods produced or processed within our service territory, for customers throughout China and abroad.

Railway Network Usage and other Transportation-Related Services Business

Revenue from our railway network usage and other transportation-related services accounted for 41.7% of our total revenue and 44.2% of our railroad and related business revenue in 2017. In 2017, our revenue from railway network usage and other transportation-related services was RMB7,644.2 million, representing an increase of 7.8% from RMB7,093.2 million in 2016. The increase in revenue from railway network usage was primarily due to improvements in the workload for the locomotive towing services. The increase in revenue from other transportation services was primarily due to improvements to the workload for the railway operations and passenger services.

The following table shows the composition of our revenue from railway network usage and other transportation-related services for each of the periods indicated:

Other Businesses

Revenue from our other businesses accounted for 5.7% of our total revenue in 2017. Our other businesses mainly consist of on-board catering services, leasing, sales of materials and supplies, sale of goods and other businesses related to railway transportation.

Revenue from our other businesses was RMB1,036.5 million in 2017, compared to RMB1,110.2 million in 2016.

Seasonality of Our Railway Transportation Business

There is some seasonality in our businesses. The first quarter of each year typically contributes the highest portion of our annual revenue, mainly because it coincides with the Spring Festival holidays when Chinese people customarily travel from all over the country back to their hometowns. In addition, the Spring Festival holidays, the Qingming Festival holidays, the Labor Day holidays, the Dragon Boat Festival holidays, summer holidays and the National Day holidays in China are also high travel seasons. During these holidays, we usually operate additional passenger trains to meet the increased transportation demand.

Sales

Passenger Transportation

Our passenger tickets are currently sold primarily through the internet. Passengers also can buy tickets at the ticket counters and automatic selling machines which are located in our train stations as well as through telephone. Additionally, our tickets are sold in Hong Kong and major cities in the Guangdong Province through ticket agents, travel agents and hotels, at our usual prices plus nominal commissions.

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Hong Kong Through Train tickets are sold in Guangdong Province through our railway stations, as well as through various ticket outlets, hotels and travel agents. In Hong Kong, these tickets are sold exclusively by the MTR. As MTR’s sales network for these tickets is relatively limited, MTR has engaged the China Travel Service (HK) Ltd., or CTS, as the primary agent for such sales on a non-exclusive basis.

Our stations along the Guangzhou-Shenzhen line have adopted a real-name ticketing system, allowing passengers to use their identification cards to purchase tickets and board trains. Customers who provide their second generation China identification cards or Hong Kong and Macau identification cards may purchase tickets aboard trains without customer service representatives. Customers can also purchase tickets for our Guangzhou-Shenzhen inter-city trains online. As of December 31, 2017, we had a total of 253 automatic ticket selling machines, 149 automatic ticket inspection machines and 214 internet ticket printing machines along the Guangzhou-Shenzhen line.

The current settlement method for passenger transportation was stipulated by the MOR and is still under execution by the CRC. It provides that all revenue from passenger train services (including revenue generated from luggage and parcel services) is considered passenger transportation revenue and belongs to the railway company that operates that train. The railway company in turn pays other railway companies the fees for the use of their rail lines, hauling services, in-station passenger services, water supply, electricity for electric locomotives and contact wire use fees, etc. Under this settlement method, the railway companies operating the long-distance train services are required to pay us the following fees: (i) the portion of the revenue from the sale of tickets that is higher than the PRC national railway standards due to our special pricing standards and (ii) other fees including those for railroad line usage, in-station passenger service, haulage service, power supply for electric locomotives, usage fees of contact wires and water supply. This settlement method does not apply to the settlement of our revenue from the passenger trains between Guangzhou and Shenzhen, between Beijing and Hong Kong, between Shanghai and Hong Kong, between Zhaoqing and Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Through Trains. See “ITEM 4. INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY—B. Business Overview—Regulatory Overview—Pricing.”

In October 2016, we acquired parts of the railway operation assets of GRCL and GSRC. As a result of the acquisition, we expanded our service scope of railway operation of the Shenzhen-Pinshi rail line to the entire Guangdong Province, which improved the supply of passenger trains and our competitiveness in passenger transportation.

Freight Transportation

In May 2013, the CRC restructured the businesses between CRCT, CREC and China Railway Special Cargo Services CO., Ltd. (“CRSCS”). After the restructuring, CRCT took charge of the container operation and management and left the container transportation business with all relevant assets to State Railway Bureaus (including GRGC). CREC transformed into a logistics company, providing services to the public, while National Railway Bureau was responsible for the operation and management of luggage carts, postal trains, postal and parcel express special trains and operational bases. CRSCS expanded the businesses into container, mail and luggage transportation.

On November 30, 2013, we entered into an asset transfer agreement with China Railway Express Co., Ltd. Guangzhou Branch (“CREC GB”) and China Railway Container Transport Co. Ltd. Dalang Processing Station (“CRCT DS”). CREC GB and CRCT DS are all subsidiaries of the CRC. The consideration for CREC GB and CRCT DS were approximately RMB102.3 million and RMB79.9 million, respectively. On the same day, control of the assets and operations of CREC and CRCT were transferred to us. The results of operations of the above-mentioned entities have been included in our consolidated comprehensive income statements starting on November 30, 2013.

Our revenue from container, postal transportation and postal and parcel express special train services have been included into transportation revenue after business optimization.

We and State Railway Bureaus (including GRGC) pay the CRC a fee for railway containers, which is collected by the CRCT. Special cargo transportation income, partially paid to National Railway Bureau and us as railroad usage fees and locomotive traction fees, is attributable to CRSCS.

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In June 2013, the CRC implemented the door-to-door freight fee for railway freight transportation which covers all fees incurred from loading goods, transportation from departure station to arrival station and ultimately to the designated destination. Door-to-door freight fees are charged one-time on the consignor’s account and evidenced by consignment invoice, which lists all chargeable services with corresponding prices.

Since January 1, 2018, the Company has collected the whole-route freight transportation fees for the outbound freight delivered by the Company, and has paid the service fees to other railway companies providing the freight transportation service.

Competition

We provide passenger and freight transportation services on the Shenzhen-Guangzhou-Pingshi Railway. We expect competition to increase in the future as the marketization reform of the railway industry (including the reformation of the investment and financing system, the transportation management system and the pricing system) gradually deepens. We compete for long-distance traveling passengers against other railway service providers operating within our service territory. The Guangzhou-Shenzhen section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong passenger line commenced operation in December 2011, the Beijing-Guangzhou passenger line commenced operation in December 2012, the Xiamen-Shenzhen passenger line commenced operation in December 2013 and the Nanning-Guangzhou and Guiyang-Guangzhou passenger lines commenced operation in December 2014. In addition, in areas where our railroad connects with lines of other railway companies, such as in the Guangzhou area where our railroad connects with the Guangzhou-Maoming Line, and in the Dongguan area where our railroad connects with the Guangzhou-Meizhou-Shantou Line, we face competition from the railway companies operating in these areas. We believe that the entry barrier to the industry will decrease, investors in the industry will become more diversified and the State’s highspeed railway network with Four East-West Lines and Four South-North Lines and numerous inter-city railways will complete construction and commence operation, leading to increased competition within the industry itself.

We also face competition from the providers of a variety of other means of transportation within our service territory. With respect to passenger transportation, we face competition from bus services, which are available between Guangzhou and Hong Kong, between Guangzhou and Shenzhen and between many other locations that we provide passenger transportation services. Bus fares are typically lower than the fares for our passenger train services. Furthermore, buses can offer added convenience to passengers by departing from or arriving at locations outside their central terminals, such as hotels. However, train services generally offer greater speed, safety and reliability than bus services. In addition, since the implementation of our “As-Frequent-As-Buses” operating model, our high-speed train services and Hong Kong Through Train services have enabled us to compete more effectively with bus operators in terms of speed and frequency. We also compete to a lesser extent with commercial air passenger transportation services and ferry services operating between Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

With respect to freight transportation, we face increasing competition from truck transportation in the medium-and short-distance freight transportation market as the expressway and highway networks in our service region and neighboring areas have increasingly improved. By comparison, in the long-distance freight transportation market, especially in the areas where water transportation is not well developed, our freight transportation service has many advantages compared to truck transportation due to the higher cost of truck transportation, susceptibility of truck transportation to traffic conditions and a scarcity of heavy duty trucks. Our freight transportation also competes with water transportation as the waterway networks have increasingly improved. Supported by its more extensive network, railway freight transportation is more competitive in terms of speed and safety compared to water transportation, especially in those areas that are far from coasts and main waterways. As air freight is very expensive and attracts a different group of customers, we do not consider that our freight transportation services face significant competition from air freight. In China, a significant portion of the bulky freight with low added-value is still transported by railroad. In addition, the CRC recently proposed to conduct deeper reform to adopt more modernized methods for railway freight transportation, including, but not limited to, the use of the internet to book and manage all cargos, which would further marketize freight transportation-related services and may increase competition from companies that have adopted more modernized methods in railway freight transportation.

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Equipment, Tracks and Maintenance

As of December 31, 2017, we operated 185 diesel locomotives, 73 electric locomotives, 26 EMUs and 2,410 passenger coaches for our operations.

The freight cars we use are all leased from the CRC, to which we pay uniform rental fees based on the national standards set by the CRC. The amounts of such usage fees we paid to the CRC in 2015, 2016 and 2017 were approximately RMB251.3 million, RMB261.9 million and RMB254.2 million, respectively.

From 2007, we started the operation of our CRHs, which we bought from Bombardier Sifang Power (Qingdao) Transportation Ltd. and Bombardier Sweden Transportation Ltd. Each CRH is designed to have a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour and we believe that the introduction of CRHs has strengthened our capability to deliver safety, speed, comfort and quality in our transport services and increased our efficiency and competitiveness.

Our repair and maintenance facilities, including our Guangzhou passenger vehicle maintenance facility, Shipai passenger vehicle maintenance facility, Shenzhen North passenger vehicle maintenance facility, Guangzhou vehicle maintenance facility and Guangzhou North vehicle maintenance facility, provide services for general maintenance and routine repairs on our coaches and locomotives. Major repairs and overhauls are performed by manufacturers or qualified railway companies or plants. The repair and maintenance services for the CRHs are provided by our Guangzhou EMU vehicle maintenance facility.

We believe that our existing tracks and equipment meet the needs of our current business and operations. Most of the rails and ties on our main lines have been installed within the last decade and are maintained and upgraded on an ongoing basis as required. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, we replaced approximately 7 kilometers, 41 kilometers and 76 kilometers of railway lines, respectively.

Major Suppliers and Service Providers

GRGC, our single largest shareholder, and its subsidiaries are major suppliers of our materials and supplies. In 2017, we purchased approximately RMB455,716 million in materials and supplies from GRGC and its subsidiaries, which represented 34.8% of our total purchase of materials and supplies. See “ITEM 7. MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS—B. Related Party Transactions.”

The companies or bureaus owned or controlled by the CRC, including the GRGC, our single largest shareholder, are our major customers. In 2017, we collected approximately RMB3,595.96 million from GRGC and its subsidiaries, which represented 19.6% of our operating revenues.

The electricity we use, including electricity used for our lines, is supplied through various entities under the jurisdiction of the Guangdong provincial power bureau on normal commercial terms. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, we paid approximately RMB599.3 million, RMB599.2 million and RMB520.2 million, respectively, for electricity charges.]

Regulatory Overview

As a joint stock limited company with publicly traded shares, we are subject to regulation by the PRC securities regulatory authorities with respect to our compliance with PRC securities laws and regulations.

Prior to March 14, 2013, we were regulated by the MOR. However, on March 14, 2013, the First Session of the 12th National People’s Congress of the PRC considered and approved the plan on State Council institutional reform and transformation of government functions, pursuant to which the MOR was dissolved. In accordance with the plan, administrative functions pertaining to railway development planning and policies were transferred to the MOT, other administrative functions previously performed by the MOR were transferred to the National Railway Administration, supervised by the MOT, and commercial functions previously performed by the MOR were transferred to the CRC. The Reform was completed on January 1, 2017 and as a result, the actual controlling entity of our Company’s largest shareholder became the CRC. See “ITEM 3. KEY INFORMATION—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business— Extensive government regulation of the railway transportation industry may limit our flexibility in responding to market conditions, competition or changes in our cost structure.”

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National Railway System

Railroads in the PRC fall largely into three categories: state-owned railroads, jointly owned railroads and local railroads. The PRC central government holds the equity interests in state-owned railroads. The state-owned railway system comprises over 70% of all rail lines, including all trunk lines. Prior to the dissolution of the MOR, the state-owned railway system was operated as a nationwide integrated system under the supervision and management of the MOR. Jointly owned railroads are jointly invested and operated by the central government of the PRC, the local government and other foreign or domestic investors. Local railroads consist of regional lines usually within provincial or municipal boundaries that have been constructed under the sponsorship of local governments or local enterprises to serve local needs. Although the MOR did not operate other railroads, it provided guidance, coordination, supervision and assistance with respect to industry matters to such other railroads. The MOR’s responsibilities include the centralized coordination of train routing and scheduling nationwide, planning of freight shipments and freight car allocations, overseeing equipment standardization and maintenance requirements, and financial oversight and revenue clearing throughout the national railway system. After the dissolution of the MOR, the administrative functions formerly performed by the MOR were assigned to the MOT and the National Railway Administration, while the commercial functions formerly performed by the MOR were assigned to the CRC.

Railway group companies are directly responsible for passenger and freight transportation as well as the coordination and supervision of operations carried out by train stations within their respective service territory. There are currently 18 railway group companies overseeing distinct portions of the national railway system.

Transport Operations

Prior to the dissolution of the MOR, the transport operations of the PRC national railway system were organized under the centralized regulation of the MOR. In order to promote efficient utilization of the railroad network nationwide, the MOR supervised and coordinated traffic flow on national trunk lines and through any connection points, where two rail lines operated by different companies connect to each other, in the system. Based on route capacity, available equipment and national priorities, the MOR formulated and issued the plans to the railway companies or railway group companies regarding routings on trunk lines, allocation of transportation capacities between railway companies or railway group companies at the connection points and allocation of freight cars to railway companies or railway group companies. The MOR also regulated the dispatch of empty freight cars to designated locations in order to enhance the utilization rate of the freight cars within the national railway system. Within the plans set forth by the MOR, each railway company and railway group company supervised and coordinated traffic within its own jurisdiction.

Currently, the plans and schedules for our passenger and freight services that were conducted solely on our own lines were determined by us; while our passenger and freight services that ran beyond our own lines were subject to overall planning and scheduling of GRGC or the CRC.

Where our service runs beyond our own line, clearance by and coordination with GRGC is necessary. Prior to the dissolution of the MOR, to the extent that we operated long-distance services beyond GRGC’s jurisdiction, they were subject to coordination and clearance by the MOR. Currently, they were subject to coordination and clearance by the CRC. In addition, in order to enable GRGC and the MOR to allocate freight cars and control traffic going through connection points, we were required to provide GRGC with prior electronic notice through internal network, on a daily basis, of the number and types of freight cars we required, as well as the number of our freight trains that would go through particular connection points. Currently, the daily notice is still provided to GRGC and the allocation of freight cars and control of traffic through connection points are carried out by GRGC and the CRC. Furthermore, we were required to carry out special shipping tasks, such as emergency aid and military and diplomatic transport, as directed by the MOR (and now by the CRC) or GRGC. Revenue from military and diplomatic transport generally account for less than 1% of our total transportation revenue. Emergency aid transport was required only during periods of natural disasters declared by the PRC government, and was provided with reduced fees.

Pricing

Prior to the dissolution of the MOR, the MOR was generally responsible for preparing a proposal for the baseline pricing standards for the nationwide railway system with respect to freight and passenger transportation. Such proposed pricing standards would take effect after being approved by and/or filed with relevant PRC government authorities. Currently, the CRC is responsible for the preparing and filing of such proposal for the baseline pricing standards.

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Pursuant to relevant approvals from the MOR and other relevant PRC government authorities, we have some discretion to adjust and determine our service price. With respect to our freight transportation services within our Guangzhou-Shenzhen lines, we may set our prices within a range between 50% and 150% of national price levels. With respect to our passenger transportation services, we may set the prices for our regular speed Guangzhou-Shenzhen trains within a range between 25% and 225% of national price levels, and may freely determine the prices for our high-speed express trains between Guangzhou and Shenzhen. In addition, we set the prices for our Hong Kong Through Trains in consultation with MTR, our business partner and the prices for our Hong Kong Through Trains are higher than the prices we charge for our domestic train services.

Environmental Protection

We believe that we are in material compliance with all applicable PRC national and local environmental protection laws and regulations. We have not been fined or cited for any activities that have caused environmental damages. We have 14 wastewater treatment facilities used for purposes of treating wastewater generated from cleaning of special cargo freight cars, locomotives, coaches and from residential use of our employees. We pay regular fees to local authorities for the discharge of waste substances. In 2017, our environmental protection-related expenses were approximately RMB1.47 million, mainly related to the landscaping of our railroad and office areas and environmental fees.

Insurance

We do not currently maintain any insurance coverage with third party carriers against third party liabilities. Consistent with what we believe to be the customary practice among railway operators in the PRC, we do not maintain insurance coverage for our property and facilities (other than for our automobiles), for business interruption or for environmental damage arising from accidents on our property or relating to our operations. As a result, in the event of an accident or other event causing loss, destruction or damage to our property or facilities, causing interruption to our normal operations or causing liability for environmental damage or clean-up, we will be liable for such damages. See “ITEM 3. KEY INFORMATION—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—We have very limited insurance coverage.”

In addition, we have purchased liability insurance for our directors and have taken out basic retirement insurance, basic medical insurance, work-related personal injury insurance policies and childbearing insurance for our employees.

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We occupy a total area of approximately 41.1 million square meters, among which, we own the land use right of approximately 13.1 million square meters on which our buildings and facilities of Guangzhou-Shenzhen railway are located, we lease approximately 28.0 million square meters from GRGC for the Guangzhou-Pingshi Railway.

With respect to the land for which we hold the land use rights, the terms range from 36.5 to 50 years, terminating between 2027 and 2047. We will renew the term of extend land use right upon its expiry in strict compliance with requirements of relevant laws and regulations. With respect to the land leased from GRGC, the term is 20 years, terminating in 2027. Based on the land lease agreement we entered into with GRGC in 2004, we can renew such lease at our discretion upon the expiration of the term of such land lease.

As of December 31, 2017, we had not obtained the land use right certificates, or Land Certificates, of certain parcels of land with an aggregate area of approximately 1,928,603 square meters. After consultation with our PRC legal counsel, we believe there is no legal hurdle for us to apply for and to obtain the Land Certificates and we do not believe the current lack of Land Certificates will lead to any material adverse impact on the operation of our business. Accordingly, we do not consider any provision for impairment necessary.

As of December 31, 2017, we had not obtained the ownership certificates of certain buildings, or Building Ownership Certificates, which had an aggregate carrying value of approximately RMB1,858.3 million. After consultation with our PRC legal counsel, we believe that there is no legal hurdle for us to apply for and obtain the Building Ownership Certificates and it should not lead to any material adverse impact on the operation of our business. Accordingly, we do not consider any provision for impairment necessary.

Railroad operators typically require substantial land use rights for track, freight and maintenance yards, stations and related facilities. The availability of convenient rail transportation generally enhances the value of land along a rail line. We have not engaged and do not have any current plans to engage in commercial development of any of our land use rights for use other than in connection with our existing businesses. We do not at present intend to contribute capital to engage in any land development projects in the future. However, we may contribute land use rights not otherwise being fully utilized by us for equity stakes in these projects if we believe these opportunities are economically viable. Any development projects will require approval from PRC government authorities responsible for regulating land development.

As of April 25, 2018, we had 48 stations situated on our rail line, of which the Guangzhou East Station is the largest, occupying an area of 41,925 square meters.

For additional information regarding our property, plant and equipment, see “ITEM 4. INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY—B. Business Overview—Equipment, Tracks and Maintenance” and Note 6 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report.

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