New railway links Lijiang, Shangri-la in southwest China

A railway linking the cities of Lijiang and Shangri-la, two well-known tourist destinations in southwest China's Yunnan Province, opened to traffic on Sunday. 　

With the operation of the Lijiang-Shangri-la railway, the maximum travel time between the two cities will be shortened to 1 hour and 18 minutes. 　

The railway has a design speed of 140 km per hour and a total length of 139 km. Construction started in December 2014. 　

The railway also connects Shangri-la, in the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, to the provincial capital Kunming. 　

As an important part of the Yunnan-Tibet railway network, the new line will help improve transportation in ethnic minority areas, which will promote national unity, consolidate border stability, and promote Yunnan's high-quality development, China Railway said.