File photo: CGTN

WUHAN, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- A new high-speed rail line began construction on Saturday in central China's Hubei Province to link up two pivotal railways.

The 109-km line between the city of Yichang and the Xingshan County, both in Hubei, will connect the Shanghai-Wuhan-Chengdu Railway that runs along the Yangtze River and the Zhengzhou-Chongqing high-speed line.

With a design speed of 350 km per hour, the railway will open up a faster eastward passage for southwestern China's landlocked Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality, according to the city government of Yichang.

Upon completion, the new line will halve travel time from Wuhan to Chongqing to 3 hours. A train trip from Yichang to Beijing will also be shortened to 4.5 hours from the current 8 hours.

Involving an estimated investment of 18.15 billion yuan (2.6 billion U.S. dollars), the construction of the railway is expected to last five years and a half.