At 9 o'clock on December 10th, 2021, with the sound of a whistle(哨), train G2197 slowly ran out of Ganzhou West Station and headed south to Shenzhen North Station. This marked the opening of the Ganzhou-Shenzhen high-speed railway, which includes 14 stations, with a total length of 436 kilometers. The total travel time between the two cities has been cut from 6 hours to 2 hours.
The building of the Ganshen high-speed railway was filled with challenges. As the railway travels through the mountainous areas of southern Jiangxi and northern Guangdong, workers had to be careful with many cultural landscapes(风景)and protection areas. When it was completed, 323 bridges and 157 tunnels( 隧 道 )were built, taking up 90% of the total length.
By taking the new route, it is convenient for passengers to visit the beautiful places along the line. For example, you can walk into the Shenzhen Museum to review the city's development, go to Heyuan to experience the amazing Wanlv Lake, or explore the ancient Tongtian Rock Caves in Ganzhou.
Ganzhou is known as the "Orange Capital of the World". With the high-speed railway's operation, more travellers from Guangdong have arrived and Ganzhou oranges are getting more popular.
"It used to take me six hours to drive home on Fridays, but now I can get home in time to pick up my child from school. What's more, I can even drop him off at school on Monday mornings before I go to work, "said Chen Yu, a Ganzhou local who works in Shenzhen.
Chen's life is a typical one that has changed with the railway. More and more wonderful changes along the high-speed railway are taking place.
