Bullet trains launch on Xining-Golmud section of Qinghai-Tibet Railway

An attendant interacts with passengers on Fuxing bullet train C891 on the Xining-Golmud section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway on July 1, 2023. (Photo by Hao Baojun/Xinhua)

XINING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The Fuxing bullet trains officially started operation on the Xining-Golmud section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway on Saturday.

With a total operating length of 829 km, it starts from Xining, capital of northwest China's Qinghai Province, in the east and passes through Huangyuan, Haiyan, Ulan, Delingha to Golmud Railway Station in the west, according to China Railway Qinghai-Tibet Group Co., Ltd.

At the beginning of the operation of the bullet trains, the fastest from Xining to Golmud took five and a half hours, providing convenience for the transportation of people along the line.

The Fuxing bullet train, with a designed speed of 160 km per hour, is designed for the high-altitude and low-temperature environment along the Xining-Golmud section. With the performance of anti-ultraviolet light, anti-wind and sand, it can meet the operation needs of 3,500 meters above sea level.

In July 2006, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway linking Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, and Xining went operational, ending the pre-railways period in Tibet.

Passengers are seen on Fuxing bullet train C891 on the Xining-Golmud section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway on July 1, 2023. (Photo by Ma Jianlin/Xinhua)

Passengers of Fuxing bullet train C891 on the Xining-Golmud section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway wait for departure in Xining, northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 1, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Bo)

Attendants pose for a photo with passengers in front of a Fuxing bullet train on the Xining-Golmud section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in Xining, northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 1, 2023. (Photo by Hao Baojun/Xinhua)

Two railway police officers conduct safety check before the departure of Fuxing bullet train C891 on the Xining-Golmud section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in Xining, northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 1, 2023. (Photo by Gao Shenyang/Xinhua)

Attendants of Fuxing bullet train C891 on the Xining-Golmud section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway wait for passengers in Xining, northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 1, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Bo)