Xinjiang's first high-speed rail starts operation (3)

Passengers Sun Zhenzhen (L) from central China's Hubei Province and Liu Xueqin (R) from Urumqi pose for photo on the CRH train D8602 which heads to Hami from Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Nov. 16, 2014. The first high-speed rail in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region became operational on Nov. 16, slashing travel time between the regional capital of Urumqi and the eastern city of Hami by half to three hours. The 530-km rail, with a designed speed of over 200 km per hour, is part of the 1,776-km Lanxin high-speed railway linking Urumqi with Lanzhou, capital of northwestern province of Gansu, which will be put into service by the end of this year. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge)