WELCOME ABOARD: Zulhumar Turusun (left), 22, serves passengers on a test high-speed train for the Xinjiang section of the second double-track Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway, on June 3 (LI FANGFANG)

At 7:00 a.m. on June 3, Zulhumar Turusun started her first shift at her new job. Turusun now serves on a high-speed train running from Urumqi Electric Multiple Unit Deport to Shanshanbei Railway Station in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The train is testing the Xinjiang section of the second double-track Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway, which has been constructed since March 2010. The Xinjiang section is 710 km long and designed to run at an average speed of 250 km per hour.

The 22-year-old Uygur steward, who had three years of experience providing service on trains, was proud to be one of the first nine candidates chosen from about 5,000 women who all wanted to work for the first high-speed train in her hometown Xinjiang. "The other women all admired us," Zulhumar told Beijing Review.

For now, Zulhumar is still working as a candidate after her several months of training, including manners and railway knowledge.

"I have to get used to standing all day. Sometimes I'll bring a portable bucket when I served on a long journey. I can soak my feet in hot water to relax a little," Zulhumar said. Traditionally, stewards practice their standardized smile by biting on a chopstick, she added.

No matter whether she guides passengers, dispatches meals or even just passes by those riding the train, Zulhumar will maintain her professional demeanor and keep smiling.

Zulhumar finished around 4:30 p.m. She said she will keep working hard to make it onto the final list of 20 to 30 stewards.

According to La Youyu, Chairman of Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway Xinjiang Corporation, the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway has a length of 1,776 km and runs across Xinjiang, Qinghai Province and Gansu Province. It is expected to be put into operation at the end of 2014.

The other sections between Xinjiang and the other two provinces are scheduled to have their testing finished by September, La said. When it finally goes into operation, the approximately 2,000 km travel between Urumqi and Lanzhou, capital city of Gansu Province, will be possible to make in about eight hours. Currently, it takes more than 20 hours.

(Reporting from Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region)