The first coastal express railway in northeast China went into trial operation on Monday, local authorities said.

The 290.7-km Danda Railway, linking the coastal cities of Dandong and Dalian in Liaoning Province, will run at a speed of 200 km per hour, according to the Shenyang Railway Bureau (SRB).

Construction of the railway began in 2010, and the route will mainly be used to transport passengers, the SRB said.

Connected with the Shengyang-Dandong Highspeed Railway and the Harbin-Dalian Highspeed Railway, the new route forms an important part of the railway network in northeast China, which includes the provinces of Heilongjiang, Liaoning and Jilin and the eastern part of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The railway will not only boost the economic development in the northeastern region, but also enhance trade with neighboring countries, according to the SRB.

The northeastern region borders a number of countries, including Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Dandong is China's biggest border city and borders the DPRK.