Shotlist Shaanxi Province, northwest China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Various of bullet train running 2. Aerial shot of railway station 3. Aerial shot of bullet train running 4. Train driver in cabin FILE: Shaanxi Province, northwest China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 5. Aerial shots of high-speed railway 6. Tunnel construction site Shaanxi Province, northwest China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 7. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wang Haiting, project manager, China Railway No.3 Engineering Group (ending with shots 8-9): "The project department actively adopted advanced geological prediction and other methods to conduct comprehensive analysis on the tunnels' geological conditions, effectively reducing the risks of convergence, rockfall, and collapse." FILE: Shaanxi Province, northwest China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 8. Aerial shot of tunnel 9. Various of workers at tunnel construction site Shaanxi Province, northwest China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 10. Various of bullet train running 11. Aerial shots of railway station 12. Various of electricians working 13. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Ma Jingyu, deputy director, passenger services office, Xi'an North Railway Station: "Upon the completion of the Xi'an-Yan'an high-speed railway, it will take only 19 minutes, 27 minutes, and 68 minutes to travel from the Xi'an North Station to the Fuping South Station, Tongchuan Station, and Yan'an Station, respectively, which saves 56 minutes, 102 minutes, and 62 minutes as compared with the current travel time by general speed trains." 14. Aerial shot of bullet train running 15. Train arriving at Yan'an Railway Station 16. Train drivers in cabin 17. Bullet train running 18. Aerial shots of high-speed railway, bullet train running Storyline A 299-kilometer high-speed railway linking Xi'an and Yan'an cities in northwest China's Shaanxi Province is set to begin operations on Friday. Tickets for trains running on the new rail route went on sale on Thursday. As the railway traverses gully regions of the Loess Plateau, the construction of its tunnels went through multiple challenges of complex geological conditions, according to Wang Haiting, a project manager of the China Railway No.3 Engineering Group. "The project department actively adopted advanced geological prediction and other methods to conduct comprehensive analysis on the tunnels' geological conditions, effectively reducing the risks of convergence, rockfall, and collapse," Wang said. At the initial stage of operation, rail authorities will operate no more than 38 trains a day, with supporting facilities beginning operations simultaneously. With a designed top speed of 350 kilometers per hour, the high-speed service is expected to significantly improve the convenience of travel and support rural revitalization in the old revolutionary base area. "Upon the completion of the Xi’an-Yan’an high-speed railway, it will take only 19 minutes, 27 minutes, and 68 minutes to travel from the Xi'an North Station to the Fuping South Station, Tongchuan Station, and Yan'an Station, respectively, which saves 56 minutes, 102 minutes, and 62 minutes as compared with the current travel time by general speed trains," said Ma Jingyu, deputy director of passenger services at the Xi'an North Railway Station. Yan'an holds profound historical significance, having served as the base of the Communist Party of China Central Committee from 1937 to 1947. With the opening of several lines by year-end, China's high-speed rail mileage is expected to exceed 50,000 kilometers.