A new high-speed rail line entered trial operation on Saturday, connecting Shanghai Municipality with the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang in the Yangtze River Delta in east China.

The first high-speed train on the new line, with a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour, pulled out of Shanghai Hongqiao station at 9:27 a.m. and headed for the city of Huzhou in Zhejiang by way of the city of Suzhou in Jiangsu, according to China Railway Shanghai Group.

With a length of about 163 kilometers, the rail line has a total of eight stations – six of them newly built, further facilitating development in the Yangtze River Delta.

The trial operation of this high-speed railway will last around a month and it is expected to be ready for official launch by the end of December.

(Cover image via CMG)