Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday offered his congratulations on the opening of the high-speed railway line connecting Beijing and Zhangjiakou, the co-host city of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Xi stressed the significance of the high-speed railway line, saying its launch marked a new progress in the preparations for the Winter Olympics and called for high-standard and high-quality advancing of related work.

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China's Winter Olympic high-speed railway opens

"The Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway has witnessed the development of Chinese rail, as well as leaps in China's comprehensive strength," Xi said. 

"Looking back at history, the new line carries even greater significance," Xi said. 

Construction of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway began in December 2015 as part of the important infrastructure for the Beijing Winter Olympics. 

The 174km-long line is a major project for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Designed with a maximum speed of 350 kph, the line will reduce travel time between the two cities from over three hours to 47 minutes.

The construction of the high-speed railway took around four years. The line has 10 stations: five in Beijing, and five in Hebei Province. One of the stations is located in the Badaling section of the Great Wall. The project also boasts the world's deepest station at 102 meters underground.

(With inputs from Xinhua)