On Aug. 21, trainset 55001 departed from Weifang North Railway Station, marking the official start of a collaborated trial of the Weifang-Laixi High Speed Railway.

The WLTLSG-4 section of the railway project linking Weifang and Laixi was contracted to China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC). Its Infrastructure Business Department assembled a team of experts to preside over the construction work by China State Railway Investment Construction Group and CSCEC’s 8th and 5th Bureaus.

A comprehensive trial of the functions and general states of the system is devised to test and optimize all components, and to ensure the system as a whole is up to the design standards and conditions of operation. It is a thorough "physical exam" of the railway prior to the official opening. 

For that purpose, CSCEC’s project department convened expert panels, circulated guidelines，and formed a leadership group for project acceptance review as well as task forces for coordination, safety, and on-site command. Regulatory measures formulated for the trial have been implemented with the highest standards of safety, efficiency, and precision.

The Weifang-Laixi High Speed Railway is the only railway scheduled to open in Shangdong province in 2020. Its completion will accelerate the building of the “two-hour transportation circle” for Shandong.

WLTLSG-4, the largest bidding section of the project, stretches 49.9 kilometers. Amid the challenges posed by COVID-19, all participants have made their best efforts to keep up schedules of each phase and lay a solid foundation for contract fulfillment.