Shanghai-Kunming high-speed railway line sets off for full operation
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A photo shows the whole route of the Shanghai-Kunming high-speed railway. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/ Zhao Feiyu]

The Guiyang-Kunming section of the Shanghai-Kunming high-speed railway opened on Wednesday, marking the full operation of the passenger line.

With 2,252 kilometers of track, it sets several records as the country's fastest and longest rail line running east-west, and by passing through the largest number of municipalities and provinces, including Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan.

A bullet train is seen at the Kunmingnan Railway Station in Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, Dec. 28, 2016. [Photo: Xinhua/Lin Yiguang]

The trains' speed has been enhanced to 300 kilometers per hour, reducing travel from one end of the line to the other to just 11 hours, compared to the previous direct regular rail between Shanghai and Kunming which took a whopping 35-40 hours.

Starting from January 5 of next year, the high-speed rail will also cut travel times from Hangzhou to Kunming to around 9 hours, 5.5 hours if passengers embark from Nanchang, and 4 hours from Changsha.

An aerial photo shows a high-speed train travelling through the countryside in Kaili, Guizhou province, on June 22, 2016. [Photo: Xinhua]

Local officials say the Yunnan section is fully covered by telecom and network signals. Passengers can enjoy high-speed WiFi throughout the journey.

The new rail is expected to promote economic exchanges between eastern, central and western China, and bring business opportunities to the provinces along the route.

Taking Yunnan Province as an example: the city of Kunming has been one of the top ten most popular cities for tourists in the country, with this year's number of tourists in the city double that of last year, according to tourism website lvmama.com.

An attendant working in a high-speed train, which is ready to set off from Kunming, Yunnan Province on December 28, 2016. [Photo: Photo: Xinhua/Lin Yiguang]

The new Shanghai-Kunming high-speed railway makes it possible for tourists in neighboring provinces such as Sichuan to make trips there on weekends.

Kunming's tourism authorities said that after the opening of the high-speed railway, the number of tourists to Kunming is expected to rise between 10% and 20%. And the figure is predicted to surpass 150 million by 2020, with an estimated 30 million brought by high-speed railways.

Passengers on a high-speed train which is ready to set off from Kunming, Yunnan Province on December 28, 2016. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

The full ticket cost for passengers on the new line is said to range from 700-750 yuan (about 100-108 USD).

Many Chinese citizens have made statements online to the affect that the new Shanghai-Kunming high-speed railway line is the most beautiful route in all of China.

Author： 　　　Source：CRI　　　 Editor：Yang Fan