What does the letter C stand for in train designations?

[JaceLynn]

C stands for the passenger trains operating on China's national railway lines. Below is an introduction to C-designated trains: 1. Characteristics: C-designated trains have three key features: they are national railway trains, electric multiple unit (EMU) trains, and intercity dedicated line trains. Therefore, C-designated trains are intercity EMU passenger trains operating on national railway lines (including local railways following national railway standards). For example, the Guangfo Metro trains are de facto intercity trains, but because they belong to urban rail transit and not national railway vehicles, they are not designated with a C prefix. The 'Beijiang Star' trains are intercity trains, but since they are not EMUs, they use a T prefix instead of a C prefix. Long-distance trains operating beyond the range of adjacent cities are no longer intercity dedicated line trains and thus use other prefixes (such as D, Z, T, K, etc.), not the C prefix. 2. Hierarchy: In terms of train hierarchy, C-designated trains rank below G-designated trains but above all other train types, i.e., G > C > D > Z > T > K > numeric > L-designated trains.