The Zhengzhou-Xuzhou High-speed Railway is expected to complete main construction by the end of the year and open in the first half of next year.

The railway is being built by the China Railway Electrification Bureau Group Third Engineering Co. After nearly three years' construction, the project has completed 87 percent of its investment goals and completed 51 percent of the target in stringing contact wire. The substructure has been finished and electrical engineering is nearly complete.

Construction begins at 6 am and continues until dark. Workers must give up their rest time and eat in the cold wind to guarantee progress and quality.

The railway is a key project of the 12th Five-Year Plan. With a total length of 361.937 kilometers, the railway starts at Zhengzhou in Henan province and ends at Xuzhou in Jiangsu province, also passing through Anhui province. It will shorten travel time to 80 minutes.

The completion of the Zhengzhou-Xuzhou and Baoji-Lanzhou high-speed railways greatly reduced travel time from central and western China to the east coast. The new railway will consolidate Zhengzhou's position as a high-speed railway hub.

Workers construct the Zhengzhou-Xuzhou High-speed Railway. [Photo by Liu Jianghao and Wen Pingwei / dahe.cn]

Railway workers string contact wires for the Zhengzhou-Xuzhou High-speed Railway. [Photo by Liu Jianghao and Wen Pingwei / dahe.cn]

Railway workers wear cotton-padded caps and gloves to work in the cold weather. [Photo by Liu Jianghao and Wen Pingwei / dahe.cn]

Edited by Andrew Ancheta