High-speed trains withstand icy weather   

严寒袭东北 哈大高铁风雪中顺畅运行

受强冷空气影响，低温天气连日来席卷中国东北，辽宁、吉林、黑龙江大部地区遭遇了入冬后最大幅度降温，而纵贯东北三省的哈尔滨至大连高铁也因此进入“低温”运行状态。

Shenyang (CNS) -- The Harbin-Dalian High-Speed Railway, which started operation on December 1 and links three provinces in northeast China, has not been affected by the cold weather, the Ministry of Railways (MOR) said Monday.

Liaoning, one of the three provinces on the line, has been unseasonably cold this year. It has already experienced 15 snowstorms and the second-highest amount of precipitation since 1951, according to the local meteorological office.

The seat occupancy rate of the Harbin-Dalian High-Speed Railway has remained at more than 80 percent so far this month, the MOR said.

The trains are designed to withstand temperatures of minus 40 degrees Celsius. A technician in Shenyang said they examined the tracks from time to time and removed snow promptly.

The trains on the line run at 200 km/h during winter and 300 km/h in summer.