This Day, That Year

Item from March i2,1987, in China Daily: WbrKers intensify efforts to complete a bridge of the Daqin Rail-way, which extends from Datong in Shanxi province to Qinhuangdao port in Hebei province. The rail is expected to transport coal from a Datong coal mine to the coastal areas.

Railway construction hit a record high last year, according to national rail operator China Railway Corp. The total length of the rail network nationwide last year exceeded 112,000 km, the longest in the world.

The network includes high-speed rail, which also ranked first at more than 16,000 km long, covering areas such as the one traversed by the train in the photo on the right taken in Yichang, Hubei province, on March 2.