New high-speed railway enters operation in China's Yunnan

A 106-km high-speed railway, linking the cities of Mengzi and Mile in southwest China's Yunnan Province, entered operation on Friday.

With a designed speed of 250 km per hour, the new railway has slashed the travel time between Mengzi and Kunming, the provincial capital, to 69 minutes.

The construction of this railway started in June 2018. A total of 52 bridges and ten tunnels were built to overcome the complex geological structure in the area.

It is an important part of the railway network between China's southwestern region and ASEAN countries, which will play a positive role in speeding up the urbanization process of rural ethnic areas along the railway, according to Shi Liang, deputy director of the passenger transport department of China Railway Kunming Bureau Group Co., Ltd.

The first passenger train for official operation leaves Honghe Station along the Mile-Mengzi high-speed railway in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, on Dec. 16, 2022.

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 16, 2022 shows a train running on the Mile-Mengzi high-speed railway (middle) that intersects with another two railways (upper and lower) in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province.

This photo taken on Dec. 16, 2022 shows the waiting hall of Honghe Station along the Mile-Mengzi high-speed railway in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. 