A charter train arrives at the Xi'an North Railway Station in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Jan. 14, 2022. (Xinhua/Shao Rui)

XI'AN, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- A high-speed train carrying over 400 university students departed from the city of Hanzhong, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Friday morning, heading for Xi'an, the provincial capital.

The train was providing an exclusive service to help college students return for the winter vacation amid the latest resurgence of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Xi'an has registered 2,031 local cases of COVID-19 since Dec. 9, 2021, amid the fresh outbreak. Of these, 676 had recovered by Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the China Railway Xi'an Group Co., Ltd. in Shaanxi launched the first charter train this year to transport a total of 1,126 college students from the city of Ankang to Baoji.

The company has launched seven charter trains between different cities in the province so far this year, transporting a total of 5,521 students.

The railway company said more charter trains will be launched to send students back home to ensure their safety.