The route of K1084 passes through 40 stations across 8 provinces and the city of Tianjin before arriving in Urumqi. [Photo: urumqi.gov.cn]

The launch of the first Urumqi-Qiqihar railway, K1084, on Sunday marks a new era for China.

The line stretches for 4,818 kilometers, the longest one in China until now.

It passes through 40 stations across 8 provinces and the city of Tianjin before arriving in Urumqi.

The ticket prices vary from 439 yuan to 1,244 yuan.

Also on Sunday, China put an additional 3,400 new passenger trains into service.

This is the largest increase in passenger rail services in a decade.

More than half of them will be on high-speed rail lines.

Most of the newly added high-speed services will be added to routes which service small-and-medium-sized cities and in the country's western regions.

Around 100 new inter-city trains are also going to be added to the lines to help people commute between big cities and their neighboring small towns.