Expansion milestones

On a crisp September morning during China's Mid-Autumn Festival, Luo Wei and her family stood at Chengdu East Railway Station, excited but unsure. They were embarking on a last-minute trip to Jiuzhaigou, a picturesque UNESCO World Heritage Site nestled in the mountains of western Sichuan province. In the past, such a journey would have been an exhausting multi-day ordeal. The eight-hour road trip from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou is notorious for its winding roads through the mountains and steep drop-offs below. But this time, they were about to board a new train service that would transform the experience.

In 1 hour and 39 minutes, they reached their destination, smoothly gliding through the mountains aboard a cutting-edge bullet train. Although a two-hour bus ride linking the railway station and the scenic area still awaits, it was much better than the previous eight-hour journey from Chengdu. No more hours spent cramped in a car on winding roads. It was a glimpse into the future of transportation in China, where high-speed rail has turned what once felt like an impossible journey into a comfortable, efficient reality.

"We thought it might be different to see Jiuzhaigou by train, especially with our 10-year-old son," Luo said, reminiscing about the challenging, fun-filled backpacking and self-driving trips she and her husband had taken several times during their school years.

"It (the train journey) was certainly easier, and the trip was far more comfortable — much more suitable for a family outing, especially with a child," she said.

"Before, a round trip to Jiuzhaigou would take at least three days. Now we can do it in just a day."

The 69-km newly opened railway from Zhengjiangguan to Huangshengguan links this remote yet breathtaking region to China's extensive railway network for the first time.

Over a century ago, Sun Yat-sen, a pioneering Chinese revolutionary leader, envisioned a modernized China in his book The International Development of China. His plan included the construction of 1.6 million km of roads and approximately 160,000 km of railways. Last year, while Sun's vision for railways became a reality, the development of China's high-speed rail has in all likelihood exceeded his expectations.