Across China: Henan

New rail link to open

The high-speed railway linking Zhengzhou in Henan province to the western city of Xi'an in Shaanxi province, starts operation on Saturday, cutting the travel time between the two cities from six hours to less than two hours. The 505-km railway, included in the country's mid- and long-term railway network plan, has been under construction since September 2005, with a total investment of 35.3 billion yuan ($5.2 billion), Xinhua reported. The spokesman of the Ministry of Railways, Wang Yongping, said the railway would meet the growing demand of passenger and cargo transportation in central and western China and help promote local development.