Fast rail: watch 1,500 Chinese workers build train station track in 9 hours

A time-lapse video has been released showing the railway track for a new train station being built by a team of 1,500 workers in just nine hours in southeast China.

Work began on the Nanlong Railway Station in the city of Longyan, Fujian province last Friday at 6.30pm, Xinhua reported.

The mission included laying the track – which will connect with three major railways – installing traffic signals and monitoring equipment. It was completed by 3.30am on Saturday.

“We used seven trains and 23 diggers and worked in seven units simultaneously,” said Zhan Daosong, a deputy manager at the China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group.

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Online commenters marvelled at the example of “Chinese efficiency”.

“We Chinese citizens – simply so hardworking and obedient,” one person wrote on the Pear Video platform, where the clip was posted.

Another wrote: “Thank you to all these diligent workers – it’s been hard on you!”

But others had safety concerns.

“I do hope the quality of the railway will be reliable,” one person said.

“Given the speed, it might come apart within a year,” another comment read.

The report did not say whether the workers had been trying to catch up on a deadline, but the station will be part of the 247km Nansanlong high-speed railway, which is due to be completed by the end of the year.

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The station will connect Nansanlong with the Ganlong, Ganruilong and Zhanglong railways.

With a designed speed of 200km/h, the new rail link will reduce travel time from Nanping, in the northwest of Fujian, to Longyan, in the southwest, from seven hours to 1½ hours, according to Xinhua.

It will also be an important transport link between the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta.