A new high-speed railway link has slashed travel time between Shanghai and Huzhou in Zhejiang province to a mere 55 minutes from the previous two hours.

The Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou high-speed railway officially commenced operations on Thursday, linking Shanghai, Suzhou in Jiangsu province and Huzhou in Zhejiang province in the Yangtze River Delta region. Stretching approximately 164 kilometers and interspersed with eight stations, the new link is expected to promote regional growth. The two destination stations, Shanghai Hongqiao and Huzhou, are existing ones, while the remaining six stations are new.

The new line will help Huzhou, located at the center of the Yangtze River Delta region, to integrate more deeply with the regional growth process. Travelers from Huzhou will be able to reach Shanghai, Nanjing in Jiangsu province, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province and Hefei in Anhui province within an hour, making it the only city with such connectivity in the region.

Speaking on the occasion, Tang Xiaoming, director of the Huzhou Rail Transit Construction Management Service Center, said, "The Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou high-speed train is a cornerstone of Huzhou's transportation infrastructure. With more collaborative projects between Huzhou and Shanghai emerging, we are optimistic about even greater integration in the future."

Local officials are confident that the new railway will help tourism in Huzhou to flourish, especially during the upcoming Spring Festival. They added that Nanxun ancient town in the city, a popular tourist destination, will see more visitors from neighboring provinces as well as from across the country thanks to this direct high-speed rail service.

Running at a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour, the railway reduces travel time between Shanghai Hongqiao and Huzhou Nanxun to as little as 43 minutes. "Visitors can reach Nanxun ancient town from Huzhou Nanxun Station in just 10 minutes," said Cai Jianjun, deputy director of the transportation bureau of Huzhou's Nanxun district, where Nanxun ancient town is located.

The ancient town has hosted more than 20 million visitors and set a record for ancient town tourism in China this year, and it will become more attractive with the new railway opening, said Shen Zhenhua, director of the culture, radio, television, tourism and sports bureau of Nanxun district.

On the train, Elke Funke from Germany, who has lived in China for 14 years, was brimming with excitement. As a fan of traditional Chinese culture, she has visited Nanxun multiple times.

"It's a really nice area with a special atmosphere, blending water town charm with ancient culture and history. During the Chinese New Year holiday, I plan to visit Huzhou and Shanghai," she said.

Funke works in Shengze town in Jiangsu province, and occasionally visits her Chinese and German friends in Shanghai and Zhejiang province. Now, with the opening of the new line, the travel time from Shengze, one of the new stations on the route, to Shanghai will be around 30 minutes, and it takes only 28 minutes to reach Huzhou.

"It was challenging to travel to Shanghai or Zhejiang before this railway opened. Driving involved traffic and parking issues. Now it's much easier, and I can meet my friends more frequently," she said after boarding a train at Huzhou Station and enjoying the convenience of the high-speed railway.

The connectivity facilitated by the new line marks Huzhou's deeper integration into the Yangtze River Delta. Last week, the Huzhou city government held an event in Shanghai, during which 72 key cooperation projects were signed. These projects span regional collaboration, manufacturing, foreign investment, technology, talent and modern services, with a total investment of 67.52 billion yuan ($9.25 billion).

Shen Hui, deputy director of the Huzhou Development and Reform Commission, said that this year, Huzhou's cooperation with cities such as Shanghai and Suzhou in Jiangsu has continued to deepen. The city has introduced 119 projects with investments exceeding 300 million yuan, Shen told The Paper.cn, a Shanghai-based news portal.