Passengers watch a performance on the bullet train D2685, one of the first groups of trains to operate on the Baoji-Lanzhou high-speed line, as the train departs Xi'an North Railway Station in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, July 9, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Delicate soil environment means 90% of project was built on bridges or in tunnels

The new high-speed railway running through the Loess Plateau was opened on Sunday, the last piece in the puzzle linking the less-developed northwest region to the rest of the country.

The 401-kilometer line links Baoji in Shaanxi province and Lanzhou in Gansu province, connecting the northwestern region to the national high-speed rail network.

To the west, the line connects to the Lanzhou-Xinjiang high-speed railway, China's westernmost high-speed rail track. To the east, it links the Xuzhou-Zhengzhou high-speed railway to the country's farthest east coastal area.

The Baoji-Lanzhou line has eight stops, including Baoji South, Tianshui South and Qin'an stations. With trains traveling up to 250 km per hour, it cuts the travel time between the two cities from seven hours to just two, according to China Railway Corp, the nation's rail operator.