Beijing-Wuhan high-speed rail starts operation at 350 km/h

BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) -- A high-speed rail linking Beijing with Wuhan, the capital of central China's Hubei Province, starts normal operation at a speed of 350 km/h on Monday, said the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.

With train speed raised from 310 km/h to 350 km/h, the overall transportation capacity of the section is expected to increase by 7 percent, and the shortest trip between Beijing and Wuhan has been reduced to three hours and 48 minutes, according to the company.

As a part of the Beijing-Guangzhou High-speed Railway, the Beijing-Wuhan section is closely connected with multiple high-speed railways in the country. Its speed acceleration has important radiation power to improve the efficiency of high-speed rail networks and better serve economic and social development along the lines.

At present, China boasts nearly 3,200 km of high-speed rails with an operating speed of 350 km/h, at lines such as the Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Railway, the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway and the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway.

China has also implemented a new railway operating plan starting Monday. The country's rail passenger and freight transport capacity further improves with the expansion of the high-speed rail network in its central region and the opening of several new stations and lines.