The Xi’an-Chengdu high-speed railway kicked off test runs, as a CRH3A high-speed train pulled out of the Chengdu East Railway Station in Chengdu at 8:45 a.m., Nov. 22.

The train arrived at Xi’an North Railway Station at around 1 p.m.

The 643-km Xi’an-Chengdu railway, which links Xi’an, capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi province, and Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan province, will come on stream later this year.

The trains will run at a designed speed of 250 km/h, slashing travel time between the two cities from 10 hours to about four.

They will also cut travel time from Chengdu to Beijing from 14 hours to eight hours, and shorten travel time from Chongqing to Xi’an to around five hours.

The test runs will last till the railway is officially opened. During this period, railway departments will conduct final checks on signals, tracks, trains, stations, and other passenger services, according to the Chengdu Railway Bureau.

The high-speed railway plays an important role in the country’s transportation network. It will strengthen economic ties between the two provinces and shorten the time it takes to reach the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone and the Bohai Bay Economic Rim.