LANZHOU, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- A 219-km high-speed railway line, linking the cities of Zhongwei and Lanzhou in northwest China, entered operation on Thursday.

With a designed speed of 250 km per hour, the new railway that connects the Yinchuan-Zhongwei line, has slashed the travel time between Yinchuan and Lanzhou, capitals of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Gansu Province, respectively, to less than three hours.

This high-speed railway also completes the final section of a railway loop line involving Shaanxi Province, Gansu and Ningxia.

The railway loop line further improves the coverage and accessibility of high-speed railway as it passes through many major cities in the three provincial-level regions, said Wang Dalin, an official with the China Railway Lanzhou Group Co., Ltd.