China's first high-speed passenger-only railway commenced operations on Sunday.
The railway links Shenyang in Liaoning Province with Qinhuangdao in Hebei Province.
The US$1.9 billion railway stretches 404 km and was completed in June. Construction began in August 1999.
The double-line electrified rail will serve trains running at 200-250 km per hour and will ease
strains on railway transport in the north and northeast of the country.
It is also expected to further stimulate economic development in the dynamic Bohai Bay region
and will eventually be extended to Beijing.