A Fuxing bullet train runs over the Fandianzi grand bridge of the new Chengdu-Kunming railway on Monday. The railway opened that day, cutting the travel time between the two cities in Southwest China from 19 hours to seven and a half hours. Photo: VCG

A CR200J Fuxing bullet train makes its debut on a trial run Friday in Chengdu, Southwest China’s Sichuan province, before the opening of the railway. Photo: VCG

The new line spans 915 kilometers (569 miles) and has a designed speed of 160 kph (99 mph). Photo: Liu Zhongjun/China News Service, VCG

Workers set up catenary lines outside the Xinlin tunnel on the Emei-Mianning section of the railway on Nov. 23. Photo: IC Photo

A worker inspects a collapsed part of the Xiaoxiangling tunnel on June 20 in Xide county, Sichuan. It is the longest tunnel on the railway, measuring 13.5 miles. Photo: Liu Zhongjun/China News Service, VCG

A shepherd herds a flock of sheep past the track of the Chengdu-Kunming railway on May 24 in Ganluo county, Sichuan. Photo: Liu Zhongjun/China News Service, VCG

Part of the railway under construction passes through terraced fields in Ganluo county on April 15. Seven tunnels and 11 bridges have been built along the line. Photo: Liu Zhongjun/China News Service, VCG

A Fuxing bullet train passes through the newly built Yuexi railway station on Monday in Sichuan’s Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture. Photo: VCG