For heavy and fast passenger trains, the locomotive factory in Zhouzhou developed the HXD1D, which was based directly on the experience gained with the HXD1C freight locomotive that was developed in cooperation with Siemens. The prototype was designed for a speed of 200 km/h and had a continuous output of 9,600 kW. The body of the locomotive was streamlined at the ends to improve visual appearance and reduce drag, according to the manufacturer. Multiple cameras are used to monitor the surroundings and a retinal camera is used to detect driver fatigue.

When it was decided to only develop conventional passenger trains with 160 km/h, the production version of the locomotive was changed accordingly. The continuous power was lowered to 7,200 kW and it used the same Chinese-developed IGBT pulse-controlled inverter used in the HXD1C. The weight of the locomotive was reduced to 126 tonnes, resulting in an axle load of 21 tonnes. With the installed power, a passenger train with 20 cars and a total of 3,000 seats can be accelerated to 160 km/h in five minutes. 684 production pieces were ordered, all of which should probably have been delivered by 2020.

A variant of the CR200J multiple unit, called the CR200J-SG, also uses the power train of the HXD1D. To overcome the Sichuan-Tibet railway with a peak altitude of almost 4,000 meters, the two sets have a converted HXD1D at one end and a two-part, twelve-axle diesel powercar at the other end.