A decade on, high-speed rail still delivering in western China

Tracking change

The secret to maintaining his enthusiasm for the job after 30 years is seeing the changes brought about by the development of high-speed trains, making him feel that his work is very meaningful.

Tourism has expanded in Qinghai since the operation of the Lanzhou-Urumqi High-Speed Railway. Menyuan Hui autonomous county, located 150 km from Xining, has leveraged the rail to turn local attractions such as its rapeseed flowers, snowcapped mountains and forest parks into popular tourist destinations. This has helped residents find employment and increase their income. Last year, Menyuan's GDP reached 4.5 billion yuan ($628 million), five times that of in 2013.

Ma recalled that in the past, it took about 4 hours to travel by regular train from Xining to Lanzhou, but now it takes less than an hour by high-speed train. Residents in Menyuan county who needed to travel to Xining to visit relatives, for shopping or seeking medical treatment had to travel by car on rugged mountain roads, which took several hours. Now, the travel time has been reduced to just 38 minutes.

About 10 years ago, when Ma had training in Tianjin, his classmates asked him where he was from. When he said he was from Xining, Qinghai, they were puzzled and even asked if it was a city near Qingdao in Shandong province.

"Honestly, I had an aggrieved feeling at that time. Last year, when I went for training again, classmates chatted about the beauty of Qinghai Lake, grasslands and Menyuan's vast fields of rapeseed flowers. I felt very proud," he said.

Since the railway began operation, the number of tourists traveling to Qinghai by high-speed train has significantly increased, and the railway station in Menyuan has even had to be expanded, he said.

"Qinghai is a fantastic place known for its yak meat, highland barley, yogurt and wild medicinal herbs. The construction of the railway has spurred local prosperity, bringing visible and tangible changes," he added.