New line opens up western region and boosts freight trade

The new high-speed railway line between Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and Lanzhou, capital of Gansu province, has slashed train travel times by half to less than 12 hours.

The dramatic improvement will benefit many families planning reunions for Spring Festival.

"For the first time, I feel home is not that far away after all," said Liang Shaofu as he boarded a high-speed train in Urumqi with six members of his family.