In the lush summer wetlands of Ruoergai in Sichuan's Aba Prefecture, blooming wildflowers and rain-nourished grasslands form a picturesque natural landscape.
To preserve this ecological beauty and bring high-speed rail to Ruoergai, the under-construction Chengdu-Xining Railway has adopted innovative engineering techniques. These include "zero-settlement" viaducts in marshlands and water-tight concrete works, balancing infrastructure development with environmental preservation.
Recent years have seen a rapid expansion of high-speed rail in western China. Sections like the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway, Chongqing-Xiamen High Speed Railway and Guiyang-Nanning High Speed Railway have come into service, enhancing the interconnectivity of the region's railway network. At the same time, the challenges of constructing railways through ecologically sensitive areas have been met with unique designs and advanced technologies. These efforts are writing a new chapter in green development across China's mountainous, plateau and basin landscapes, demonstrating a model of ecological priority and sustainable progress.