How the new high-speed railway came on track

Employees of the new link have undergone extensive training to ensure that they are fully prepared to operate the system, report Hu Yongqi and Xiang Mingchao in Zhengzhou and Yang Wanli in Beijing

After graduating from Zhengzhou Railway Vocational & Technical College in 2008, Luo Fengguang joined the train division of Zhengzhou Railway Bureau to receive tuition as a maintenance inspector for bullet trains.

While his classmates were envious of his job, which is regarded as stable and well paid, in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, only Luo was fully aware of the hard work he'd undertaken to get his career started. In the first six months of the job, he memorized all the technical details of China Railways High-Speed Trains, even down to the size and positioning of every tiny screw.

A young man takes a photo of himself with an attendant before boarding G801 from Beijing to Guangzhou at Beijing West Railway Station. Wang Shen / Xinhua

Luo calls himself "a born technician" and has studied all the new engines and rolling stock on China's high-speed rail network. In 2010, he won third place in a national competition to find the best railway technicians and, after a series of rigorous training courses, he was certified as a maintenance inspector by the Ministry of Railways.

The high-speed line from Zhengzhou to Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, opened on Sept 28. The trains run until 11 pm every day and are serviced overnight.