XI’AN — The first full-course test run was carried out on Nov 22 on a high-speed railway linking Xi’an with Chengdu, which is scheduled to enter operation within the year.

A high-speed train pulled out of the station on Nov 22 in Xi’an, capital of Northwest China’s Shaanxi province, and was expected to arrive in the southwestern metropolis of Chengdu three hours later.

Five pairs of trains will run between Xi’an and Chengdu every day, and another two pairs will run between Xi’an and Chongqing, according to the city’s railway authority.

The 643-km line is China’s first rail route to run through the Qinling Mountains. With a designed speed of 250 km per hour, it will slash the travel time between the two cities from the previous 16 hours.

A high-speed train stewardess offers a cup of tea to a passenger during the test run on the Xi’an-Chengdu high-speed railway on Nov 22, 2017.[Photo/IC]

The No 55251 high-speed train gets ready to leave the Xi’anbei Railway Station to carry out the first full-course test run on a high-speed railway linking Xi’an with Chengdu, on Nov 22, 2017. [Photo/IC]

The high-speed train stops at the Hanzhong Station during the first full-course test run on a high-speed railway linking Xi’an with Chengdu, on Nov 22, 2017.[Photo/IC]

A machinist examines the No 55251 high-speed train before a test run on the Xi’an-Chengdu high-speed railway on Nov 22, 2017.[Photo/IC]

The No 55251 high-speed train stops at the Xinchangjie Station during the test run on the Xi’an-Chengdu high-speed railway on Nov 22, 2017.[Photo/IC]