STORY: China's high-speed rail journey on faster track in 2023
SHOOTING TIME: File
DATELINE: Dec. 26, 2023
LENGTH: 0:02:31
LOCATION: Beijing
CATEGORY: SOCIETY/ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of China's high-speed railways
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): CHEN QING, Passenger
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LUOSANGZHAXI, Shangri-La resident
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Indonesian): MARENDRA PUTRA, Passenger
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): PHACHOUMPHON THONGM, Lao passenger

STORYLINE:

China's rail development continues to speed ahead in 2023, with the launch of more lines aimed at fostering economic and social development within the country and beyond.

As of the end of November, the total operation mileage of China's railway network exceeded 155,500 km, including 43,700 km of high-speed railways.

China's fastest sea-crossing high-speed rail started operation in September in east China's Fujian Province, featuring advanced technology and intelligence.

With a design speed of 350 km/h, the high-speed railway slashes travel time between Fuzhou and Xiamen, an economic hub and tourist hotspot in the province, to just under an hour.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): CHEN QING, Passenger
"A 'one-hour living area' encompassing Fuzhou and Xiamen makes life and work more convenient. And the scenery along the way is also exceptionally beautiful."

A railway linking the cities of Lijiang and Shangri-La, two well-known tourist destinations in southwest China's Yunnan Province, opened to traffic in November.

The new line helps improve transportation in ethnic minority areas.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LUOSANGZHAXI, Shangri-La resident
"I've been looking forward to it for years. Now, travels have become more convenient. We no longer need to go to other cities to take trains. We can take trains at our doorstep."

The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR), the first HSR in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, has handled more than 1 million passenger trips since its commercial operation was officially launched in October.

With a design speed of 350 km/h, the 142.3-km HSR cuts the journey between Jakarta and Bandung from over three hours to around 40 minutes.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Indonesian): MARENDRA PUTRA, Passenger
"The train is fast, comfortable, and very stable at high speed."

The China-Laos Railway, which launched its international passenger service in April, has transported over 100,000 cross-border passengers by early December.

The 1,035-km railway connects Kunming in China with Vientiane in Laos. Travel time has been cut to 9.5 hours.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): PHACHOUMPHON THONGM, Lao passenger
"Before the China-Laos Railway opened, it took me two days to travel from Vientiane to Mongla by car. Now, it takes me about 5 hours by train, which is very fast and convenient."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing.
(XHTV)