Construction work began on a 308km, high-speed railway linking Chongqing and Chengdu on 22 March, said Wu Yong, director of Chengdu Railway Bureau. The project is scheduled to take four years to complete and, after opening, the journey time between the two cities will be halved from the current two hours.

The mountainous terrain means that two-thirds of the track will be laid on bridges or will pass through tunnels.

Chengdu and Chongqing are the two major cities in China’s southwest, and the high-speed railway is designed to promote regional development.

In addition to the Chengdu line, Chongqing will start constructing another two lines this year, one to Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province, and an intercity line to Wanzhou, elsewhere in Chongqing municipality.