ZHENGZHOU — A high-speed railway linking Zhengzhou in central China’s Henan province with Xuzhou in eastern Jiangsu province opened on Sept 10.

A stewardess serves snacks and beverage on the first train operating on Zhengzhou-Xuzhou high-speed railway, Sept 10, 2016. A new high-speed railway (HSR) line between Zhengzhou, capital of central Henan province, and Xuzhou in eastern Jiangsu province started its operation on Sept 10, making the total length of high-speed track in the country over 20,000 km. Trains running on the 360-kilometer-long track travels at a speed of 300km per hour at the early stage of operation.[Photo/Xinhua]

The 360-km line connects high-speed railway in the west with two major north-south lines, helping cut travel time between the west and east.

The travel time between Xi’an and Shanghai is cut to six hours from nearly 11 hours.

The line has nine stations and trains run at a speed of up to 300 km per hour in the initial period.

Construction of the line started in December 2012 and test operation started in April 2016.

With the operation of the new line, China’s high-speed railway lines have exceeded 20,000 km in total length, the world’s longest.

The first train operating on Zhengzhou-Xuzhou high-speed railway stops at Shangqiu Railway Station, central China’s Henan province, Sept 10, 2016. A new high-speed railway (HSR) line between Zhengzhou, capital of central Henan province, and Xuzhou in eastern Jiangsu province started its operation on Sept 10, making the total length of high-speed track in the country over 20,000 km. Trains running on the 360-kilometer-long track travels at a speed of 300km per hour at the early stage of operation. [Photo/Xinhua]