File photo: Xinhua

BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- China will implement a new railway operating plan starting Jan. 20, 2021, to further improve the country's railway passenger and freight transport capacity, according to the national railway operator.

A total of 325 passenger trains, as well as 114 freight trains for major cargo transport lines, will be added under the new plan, said the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. Meanwhile, passenger train tickets have already been made available since Tuesday after the operating plan adjustment, it added.

Several new rail lines that have been put into operation in late 2020 or are slated to begin operation in early 2021, including a high-speed railway linking Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province, will be fully used to enhance regional transport capacity, the railway operator said.

The Ningxia-Xi'an high-speed railway, which will incorporate Yinchuan into China's high-speed railway network for the first time, will shorten the travel time between the two cities from 15 hours to around three and a half hours.

Trains plying on the railway in southwest China linking Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, and Chongqing Municipality will run at a speed of 350 km per hour, reducing the travel time to about one hour.

Meanwhile, freight transportation such as China-Europe freight train service will be improved to better support the Belt and Road Initiative and China's foreign trade.

Efforts will also be made to coordinate virus containment and transport work, the railway regulator said, adding that measures such as strengthening body temperature monitoring and reminding passengers to wear masks throughout the journey will be taken to ensure safe trips.