A railway line with the most bridges and tunnels in China passed the state technical appraisal Thursday.
The railway line links the city of Shuicheng with Baiguo township in southwestern Guizhou province with a total length of 118.5 kilometers. The rail route crosses 100 key bridges big or small, one per km on average. Bridges and tunnels make up 62.9 percent of the total length.
Completion of the railway marks a technological progress in the history of railway construction in China. As the rail route runs through towering Mount Wumeng area, builders had to tackle complex geological conditions such as soft earthen layers, landslides, mud- rock flows and limestone caves with new technologies.
The state technical appraisal committee noted that the railway is up to the state required technical standards, set a host of " firsts" in China's railway-building history and provided valuable experience.
The operation of the railway opens an outlet to the sea for Sichuan and Guizhou provinces and Chongqing municipality and will help improve the investment environment of out-of-the-way villages along its path and make it possible for needy, ethnic minority people in secluded mountainous areas to ease poverty in the near future, said a Guizhou provincial official.