BEIJING, June 28 -- A high-speed rail link between north China's Taiyuan city, and Xi'an in the west will start services on July 1.

The 570-kilometer railway is part of the Datong-Xi'an high-speed line, and will shorten travelling time between the two cities to three hours from the previous 10 hours, according to the China Railway Corporation.

China has been steadily expanding its rail network in recent years, and as the economy falters, the government is looking to railway investments, especially in the relatively backward western regions, to support growth.

China had a combined railway network of over 100,000 km by the end of last year, including more than 10,000 km of high-speed track. Plans are afoot to increase the total track to 120,000 km by 2020.