URUMQI, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- A major railway line linking northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province was put into operation on Wednesday, paving the way for the accelerated development of the country's western region.

The 1,206 km Golmud-Korla railway, linking the city of Golmud in Qinghai and the city of Korla in Xinjiang, is the third railway facilitating exchanges between Xinjiang and other regions.

Construction was divided into two sections, with the length of the Xinjiang section topping 734 km. The Qinghai section was operational in June this year.

The line will cut the travel time between Golmud and Korla from about 26 hours to roughly 12 hours.

The new rail artery also connects with the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the world's highest rail system. The network will link Xinjiang, Qinghai and the Tibet Autonomous Region, facilitating exchanges in western China.