World's first high-speed railway in extremely low temperatures marks 5th anniversary

SHENYANG, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- The world's first high-speed railway to operate in extremely low temperatures with speeds of up to 300 kph marks its fifth anniversary on Friday.

Some 330,000 trains carrying a total of more than 300 million passengers have travelled through 102 blizzards on the railway linking the northeastern city of Harbin and port city of Dalian, which opened on Dec.1, 2012, according to the regional railway administration.

An average of 266,000 passengers a day travel on the 921-km railway line. Temperatures in the region can be lower than minus 30 degrees Celsius, and the temperature difference between summer and winter can exceed 70 degrees Celsius.

As the first high-speed railway of its kind, it is the product of China's own exploration and innovation with no existing reference. The country has mastered its operation and maintenance technology.

The railway goes through China's three northeastern provinces -- Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, and is part of the country's efforts to revitalize its old industrial base.

China's railway network reached 124,000 kms and handled 2,595 high-speed trains by the end of 2016, making up 60 percent of the worldwide total of high-speed trains. Enditem