Bullet Train Line will Link Grottoes

During a trial run on 12, September 2018, a high-speed train arrived in Dunhuang, Gansu province, and tourists will soon be able to take the train directly to Dunhuang, with the famous Mogao Grottoes among other attractions.

A test-run bullet train from Jiayuguan pass in Gansu province arrived at Dunhuang railway station on the morning of 12, September 2018, marking the city’s first connection to the high-speed rail network, according to Dunhuang’s official social media account.

“Dunhuang has only one regular 160km railway connecting other cities in Gansu province, so people can only go there by ordinary trains now,” said an official at the Lanzhou Railway Bureau’s publicity office, who asked not to be named.

“Construction of a 3km railway has been completed. It will connect conventional rail lines with the Lanzhou-Xinjiang high-speed railway, the only one in northwest Gansu province, so bullet trains can reach Dunhuang.”

The official said the test train will undergo a thorough inspection to ensure it can operate safely.” Although the speed of high-speed rail has not been determined, it is certain that the commuting time of tourists to Dunhuang will be cut,” he said.

Today, there are only three direct daily trains from Lanzhou to Dunhuang, a journey of more than 12 hours.

“More importantly, Dunhuang will be included in the national high-speed rail network so that tourists from other major Chinese cities – including Beijing, Xian, Shanghai and Wuhan – can get to Dunhuang faster than before,” he said.

Dunhuang, an important stop on the ancient silk road, is famous for its nearby Mogao Grottoes. Mogao grottoes are a UNESCO world heritage site with some of the finest examples of Buddhist art.

More than 9 million people visited Dunhuang in 2017, up 12.3 percent from a year earlier, according to the Dunhuang tourism bureau.

Wang weiang, 23, visited Gansu province last year. She took the bullet train from Beijing to Lanzhou and then took a bus to Mogao Grottoes.

“It’s painful to sit on a bus for more than seven hours a day,” she said. “I really want to go to the mogao grottoes again. It’s great to get there by bullet train.”

Chen Jinye, director of the national tourism administration, also believes that reducing commuting time will attract more tourists from big cities and benefit local tourism.