73 years ago today, on July 1, 1952 (May 10, 1952, the 1952 lunar calendar), the Chengdu-Chongqing Railway was completed and opened to traffic. The first train departing from Chengdu On July 1, 1952, the entire Chengdu-Chongqing Railway in Sichuan was opened to traffic. Mao Zedong wrote: "Celebrate the opening of the Chengdu-Chongqing Railway and continue to work hard to build Tiancheng Road." The Chengdu-Chongqing Railway runs from Chengdu, Sichuan to Chongqing, with a total length of 530 kilometers. Construction of this railway started on June 16, 1950. The construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing Railway was carried out under extremely difficult conditions. The southwest had just been liberated and the national finances were quite difficult. The Party Central Committee has determined that the principle for building the Chengdu-Chongqing Railway is to "use local materials" and mobilize the military and civilians to build it. The project was advanced at a daily paving schedule of 5 kilometers and 30 feet and was completed three months ahead of schedule. The Chengdu-Chongqing Railway has great economic value. It crosses the center of the Sichuan Basin and effectively promotes material exchanges in the southwest region.