HEFEI — A new high-speed railway section linking Anqing city in East China's Anhui province, with Jiujiang city in East China's Jiangxi province began operation on Dec 30.

The 176-km line, with seven stations along its route, will reduce travel time between Anhui's capital Hefei and Jiangxi's capital Nanchang to two hours and 22 minutes, according to China Railway Shanghai Group.

The Anqing-Jiujiang high-speed railway has a designed speed of 350 km per hour and is connected to China's vertical artery of the Beijing-Hong Kong Railway.

There will be five pairs of trains plying on the railway on the first day of its operation and the number will increase to 24 pairs per day starting from Jan 10, 2022.

The new line passes populated areas with abundant tourism resources and will greatly facilitate the travel of people along the route, said the company.