High-speed rail links two major revolutionary sites of China's Long March

NANCHANG -- With the departure of high-speed train G3998 from Ruijin Station heading for Yan'an on Sunday morning, the two sacred revolutionary sites were directly linked by high-speed rail service for the first time.

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Central Red Army's Long March. Ruijin and Yan'an, serving as the starting point of the Long March and the revolutionary heartland of the Communist Party of China after the Long March, are located in East and Northwest China, respectively.

The new train service is the first direct high-speed rail link between the two cities, covering 1,857 kilometers at a maximum operating speed of 300 km per hour, with the full journey taking about 11 hours. It serves as a vital artery connecting eastern China with the city clusters in the northwest, with a host of red landmarks and key cities on the route, including Ruijin, Yudu, Nanchang, Wuhan, Xi'an and Yan'an.

For a long time, no direct train or flight connected the two relatively remote cities, requiring passengers to transfer at least twice in Nanchang, Wuhan, Xi'an or other cities, with the entire journey taking 16 to 22 hours.

In recent years, several high-speed railways, including the Nanchang-Ganzhou, Xi'an-Yan'an, and Xi'an-Shiyan lines, have been put into operation, significantly shortening the distance between northwest and east China. With increasingly close exchanges between the old revolutionary bases in southern Jiangxi and northern Shaanxi, such as red-themed study tours, Party-related exchanges, family visits and business travel, the demand for point-to-point direct services has been rising steadily, according to China Railway Nanchang Group Co., Ltd.

In response, the railway authority optimized transport capacity deployment and opened the direct service between Ruijin and Yan'an.

Wang Tao, a researcher at the China Executive Leadership Academy, Yan'an, said, "From Ruijin to Yan'an, the Central Red Army once trekked 25,000 li (12,500 kilometers) on the Long March, braving countless hardships and perils. Today, a high-speed link in the high-tech era connects the two points."

Song Xuelin, deputy director of the development and reform commission of Ruijin city, said that the direct high-speed rail link has not only shortened the distance between the two cities, but also built an important passage for economic connectivity.

It will boost the development of cultural tourism and agriculture along the route, fueling the high-quality development and common prosperity of the old revolutionary base areas, Song said.