High-speed railway in Heilongjiang passes milestones

Over the past decade, the Harbin-Dalian High-Speed Railway, the world's first high-speed railway in a cold zone, has transported 670 million passengers, according to the China Railway Harbin Group.

The 921-kilometer line, which links Harbin, Heilongjiang province, with the port city of Dalian, Liaoning province, began to operate in December 2012. It includes 23 stops across the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning. It reduced travel time between Harbin and Dalian from 13 hours to 3.5 hours.

With a designed speed up to 350 km/h, the high-tech train can withstand temperatures ranging from -40 C to 40 C, passing a milestone in the country's effort to build the largest high-speed railway network in the world.

Currently, 61 pairs of trains operate daily, growing from 23 initially.

Passengers from Heilongjiang can reach more than 10 provincial-level regions directly via the line and all regions with high-speed rail in China after transfer.

With the Harbin-Dalian line as the beginning, high-speed railway construction in the province has seen rapid development.

The rail network, including Harbin-Qiqihar, Harbin-Mudanjiang, Harbin-Jiamusi and Mudanjiang-Jiamusi, covers 80 percent of the province's population and is expected to accelerate regional economic development, meet demand for a better travel experience and provide support for the economic growth of Northeast China, the railway company said.

Captions:

1-2. A bullet train runs along the Harbin-Dalian High-Speed railway. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

3-4. Bullet trains stop at the depot in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

5. Attendants take photos on the train running on the Harbin-Dalian high-speed line. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

6. A train engineer gets ready to run on the Harbin-Dalian High-Speed Railway. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

7-8. Attendants on the Harbin-Dalian High-Speed Railway prepare for departure. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]