A 299-kilometer high-speed railway linking Xi'an and Yan'an cities in northwest China's Shaanxi Province is set to begin operations on Friday.
Tickets for trains running on the new rail route went on sale on Thursday.
As the railway traverses gully regions of the Loess Plateau, the construction of its tunnels went through multiple challenges of complex geological conditions, according to Wang Haiting, a project manager of the China Railway No.3 Engineering Group.
"The project department actively adopted advanced geological prediction and other methods to conduct comprehensive analysis on the tunnels' geological conditions, effectively reducing the risks of convergence, rockfall, and collapse," Wang said.
At the initial stage of operation, rail authorities will operate no more than 38 trains a day, with supporting facilities beginning operations simultaneously.
With a designed top speed of 350 kilometers per hour, the high-speed service is expected to significantly improve the convenience of travel and support rural revitalization in the old revolutionary base area.
"Upon the completion of the Xi’an-Yan’an high-speed railway, it will take only 19 minutes, 27 minutes, and 68 minutes to travel from the Xi'an North Station to the Fuping South Station, Tongchuan Station, and Yan'an Station, respectively, which saves 56 minutes, 102 minutes, and 62 minutes as compared with the current travel time by general speed trains," said Ma Jingyu, deputy director of passenger services at the Xi'an North Railway Station.
Yan'an holds profound historical significance, having served as the base of the Communist Party of China Central Committee from 1937 to 1947.
With the opening of several lines by year-end, China's high-speed rail mileage is expected to exceed 50,000 kilometers.
Xi'an-Yan'an high-speed railway to begin operations
China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao outlined the key priorities of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting, which opened on Friday in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province.
In an interview with CGTN ahead of the two-day meeting, Wang said free trade, digital cooperation and green economy are high on the agenda of the meeting.
"The key areas include advancing regional economic integration and the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, supporting the World Trade Organization (WTO) in strengthening digital cooperation and developing green economy. At present, the international situation is marked by intertwined turbulence and chaos, with intensified geopolitical instability. The rise of unilateralism and protectionism poses serious challenges to the international economic and trade order, disrupting global and Asia-Pacific development. Against this backdrop, all parties have higher expectations for this trade ministers' meeting, hoping that it can build consensus and deliver outcomes," Wang said.
This year marks China's third time hosting the APEC meetings and the 35th anniversary of its membership.
By 2025, China had become the largest trading partner of 13 APEC economies. Trade between China and APEC economies reached 3.7 trillion U.S. dollars, accounting for 57.8 percent of China's total foreign trade.
China has signed 24 free trade agreements or economic and trade arrangements with 31 countries and regions, including 15 APEC economies. In recent years, China has also completed upgrades of free trade agreements with APEC economies such as Singapore and Peru.
The minister said that China has always been a firm supporter and an important contributor to APEC.
"We have actively shared our vast market and development opportunities with all parties. China's door to the world will only open wider and wider. Facing the common challenges, China will continue to fulfill its responsibilities as a major country, further deepen reform, expand high-standard opening-up, and continue to provide new opportunities for the Asia-Pacific region and the world with its new achievements in Chinese modernization," the minister said.
China's Commerce Minister outlines priorities for 32nd APEC trade ministers' meeting
