High-speed rail marks first year

The high-speed railway linking Urumqi with Xining, capital of Qinghai province, and Lanzhou, capital of Gansu province, has carried more than 4.5 million people in its first year of operation, regional authorities announced on Dec 27.

The 1,776-kilometer line started running at speeds of up to 250 km/h on Dec 26, 2014. Travel time from Urumqi to Lanzhou has been cut from more than 23 hours to under 12 hours.