A massive team of 1,500 Chinese construction workers executed a breathtaking feat of engineering, completing a crucial railway upgrade at the Longyan railway station in a record time of just 8.5 hours overnight. The January 2018 project, which involved connecting existing lines to a new high-speed railway, has captivated and amazed the world with its speed and military-like precision.
The project’s viral time-lapse video shows the transformation of the tracks outside the Longyan station—not the construction of an entire station building, as some initial reports mistakenly suggested.
- The Task: The goal was a crucial upgrade and renovation of the Longyan station’s interlocking system—the complex arrangement of tracks and switches—to connect three existing railway lines with the newly constructed Nanping-Longyan high-speed line.
- The Execution: Beginning at 6:30 p.m. and finishing by 3:00 a.m. the following morning, the 1,500 workers were organized into seven specialized teams to tackle different tasks simultaneously.
- Machinery: The workforce was supported by 23 excavators and seven haulage trains, enabling the quick removal of old tracks and the laying of new, pre-fabricated track sections.
The incredible speed of the project was made possible by meticulous planning that took several months, combined with China’s expertise in pre-fabricated (prefab) construction techniques. By assembling large sections of the track off-site beforehand, the on-site work was reduced to a coordinated series of movements, minimizing disruption to the busy station.
The completion of this track junction was vital for the Nanping-Longyan railway, a 246 km high-speed line designed to run at up to 200 km per hour (124 mph), which is expected to cut travel time between the two cities from seven hours to just 90 minutes. This achievement stands as a powerful symbol of China’s rapidly expanding high-speed rail network and its sophisticated construction capabilities.
