The 347-kilometer Chongqing-Guiyang High-speed Railway started operation on Jan 25, ahead of this year's Spring Festival travel rush.

The new railway line will cut the travel time between the southwestern municipality of Chongqing and Guiyang, Guizhou province, to two hours from nine, with trains running at a high speed of 200 km per hour.

It will also decrease the travel time between Chongqing and Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province to seven hours from 12, and between Chongqing and Kunming, capital of Yunnan province to four hours and 40 minutes from 19 hours.

"It is part of an important railway network linking China's northwestern, southwestern and southern areas," China Railway Corporation said in a statement.

The railway is expected to boost people-to-people exchanges and trade between southwestern and northwestern areas and the Pearl River Delta and relieve traffic pressure during the Spring Festival travel rush.

Spring Festival falls on Feb 16 this year. The 40-day travel rush will begin on Feb 1 and end on March 12. Train trips are expected to top 389 million during the period, up 8.8 percent year-on-year, according to the National Development and Reform Commission.

A staff member of Kaili Railway Station in Guizhou province shows one of the first train tickets for Chongqing-Guiyang High-speed Railway. [Photo by Wu Jibin/gz.xinhuanet.com]

Train tickets for the Chongqing-Guiyang High-speed Railway were put on sale from Jan 19.