China's northernmost high-speed railway opens in Heilongjiang

(ECNS) -- China’s northernmost high-speed railway opened on Monday in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, cutting travel time between Harbin and Yichun from about seven hours to 1 hour and 46 minutes.

The 318-kilometer Harbin-Yichun High-Speed Railway has a designed speed of 250 kilometers per hour and nine stations along the route.

The first train departed from Yichun at 10:26 a.m. and is scheduled to arrive in Harbin, the provincial capital, at 12:05 p.m., according to China Railway Harbin Group Co., Ltd. 

The new railway is expected to play a key role in the province's comprehensive revitalization, while boosting tourism and the development of its ecological assets.

(By Intern Yang Hongran, Zhang Dongfang)