Bullet train 55251 prepares its test run on a high-speed railway linking Xi'an with Chengdu at Xi'an North Railway Station in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Nov. 22, 2017. The train was expected to arrive in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, three hours later. The first full-course test run was carried out Wednesday on the Xi'an-Chengdu high-speed railway, which is scheduled to enter operation within the year. 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. (Xinhua/Zhang Bowen)
 
XI'AN, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- The first full-course test run was carried out Wednesday 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 Wednesday morning 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 stewardess works on board bullet train 55251 for a test run on a high-speed railway linking Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, with Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nov. 22, 2017. The first full-course test run was carried out Wednesday on the Xi'an-Chengdu high-speed railway, which is scheduled to enter operation within the year. 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 to 3 hours. (Xinhua/Zhang Bowen)

A stewardess works on board bullet train 55252 for a test run on a high-speed railway linking Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, with Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nov. 22, 2017. The first full-course test run was carried out Wednesday on the Xi'an-Chengdu high-speed railway, which is scheduled to enter operation within the year. 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 to 3 hours. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

Bullet train 55252 prepares its test run on a high-speed railway linking Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, with Chengdu at Chengdudong Railway Station in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nov. 22, 2017. The first full-course test run was carried out Wednesday on the Xi'an-Chengdu high-speed railway, which is scheduled to enter operation within the year. 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 to 3 hours. (Xinhua/Xue Yubin)

A driver works on board the bullet train 55252 for a test run on a high-speed railway linking Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, with Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nov. 22, 2017. The first full-course test run was carried out Wednesday on the Xi'an-Chengdu high-speed railway, which is scheduled to enter operation within the year. 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 to 3 hours. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)