Although it would take 23 hours for Ren Xiaosu's steam locomotive to travel from the Zhou Consortium to the Northwest, he had to make many rest stops along the way. Therefore, the actual journey would take about a day and a half.
After all, no one could get any rest as there were no sleeper cars attached to the steam locomotive. Everyone just stood and squeezed together in the carriages. They could not even make their way to the toilets to relieve themselves. As such, he had to set up camp and let everyone take a break for a few hours.
However, no one complained about the cramped space within the carriages or the fatigue they experienced during the journey. They were all harboring hopes of leading a stable life once they got to the Northwest.
At that time, they would have food to eat and work to do. They also would not have to worry about getting dragged into the war for the time being.