Passengers line up to experience the Nanning-Chongzuo section of the Nanning-Pingxiang Railway. [Photo/Guangxi Daily]

The Nanning-Chongzuo section of the Nanning-Pingxiang Railway began operation on Dec 5, cutting the travel time between two cities from two hours and 36 minutes to just 52 minutes.

The Nanning-Pingxiang Railway runs in the southwest area of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and connects the region's capital city, Nanning, to the border city, Pingxiang. The 201-kilometer railway was built into two sections: the Nanning-Chongzuo and Chongzuo-Pingxiang sections.

Construction began on the Nanning-Pingxiang section in December 2018. This section stretches 121 km and was designed with a speed limit of 250 km per hour. Among the five stations along the route, Nanning Station has already been built and the Wuxu Airport, Fusui South, and Chongzuo South stations are newly built.

During the initial operation stage, five pairs of trains will trial the route. Passengers will be able to reach Wuxu Airport Station from Nanning Station in 15 minutes and can go from Nanning Station to Chongzuo South Station in 52 minutes.

The operation of the Nanning-Chongzuo section has further optimized the railway network structure in Guangxi and brought lots of convenience to people who are traveling. The completion of these sections is also making contributions to the construction of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.