There's a new chapter in high-speed travel as the Xi'an-Yan'an railway on the Chinese mainland enters its joint debugging and testing phase. A test train recently completed a full 299.8 km run, putting tracks, power systems and signaling through real-world simulation.
Traversing the rugged Loess Plateau, the line tackles challenging terrain with 91% of its route carried on 47 tunnels and 67 large- and medium-sized bridges. "We balanced engineering safety with environmental harmony," says Liu Wentao, chief designer at China Railway First Survey and Design Institute Group Co., Ltd.
With a design top speed of 350 km/h, the railway will slash travel time between Xi'an (capital of Shaanxi Province in the northwest of the Chinese mainland) and Yan'an from 2.5 hours to about one hour once it opens by year-end. Yan'an's status as the Communist Party leadership's revolutionary base from 1937 to 1947 lends historical weight to this modern corridor.
"This milestone will reshape regional connectivity," adds project commander Zhou Weimin. Beyond faster journeys, the line is set to optimize China's high-speed network, spur rural revitalization and energize development in the western region.
For young global citizens, business and tech enthusiasts, and digital nomads, this new high-speed link offers a gateway to explore a storied landscape with unprecedented speed and sustainability.
Reference(s):
China's high-speed railway in revolutionary base begins testing
cgtn.com
