China's first inter-provincial high-speed rail loop begins operations in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on Friday. [Photo by Tao Jing/chinadaily.com.cn]

China's first inter-provincial loop railway began operating in Chongqing on Sunday with the aim of promoting regional integration in less-developed southwestern China.

At 10:31 am Sunday, C6014 left Chongqing West Railway Station. In about eight hours, it will return at the same station after traveling 1,290 kilometers through 15 stations in Chongqing, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces.

It will take one and a half hours from Chongqing to Chengdu, Sichuan province; two hours from Chongqing to Guiyang, Guizhou; and three hours from Chengdu to Guiyang.

Chongqing, with a population of 30 million, is under the direct management of the central government, along with Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai.

Located on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, the municipality boasts key geographic advantages as a strategic pivot of the country's development program for its western regions, along with being a connecting point for the Belt and Road Initiative and the Yangtze Economic Belt.

Guizhou, one of the poorest provinces in the country, is well known for its ample tourist resources and big data industry.

The loop line has brought the three places much closer, said Li Jing, dean of the business school at Chongqing Technology and Business University.

"It will help establish a large city cluster in western China that can promote local economic development," he said.

Train attendants give safety instructions in sign language as China's first inter-provincial high-speed rail loop began operating in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on Friday. [Photo by Tao Jing/chinadaily.com.cn]

China's first inter-provincial loop railway begins operating in Chongqing on Sunday with the aim of promoting regional integration in less-developed southwestern China. [Photo by Long Fang/chinadaily.com.cn]