The new rail line linking Kunming with Dali goes into operation on July 1, 2018. (Photo: VCG)

KUNMING - A new rail line went into operation in southwest China's Yunnan Province Sunday, linking capital Kunming with Dali, a tourist city known for its scenery.

The first bullet train left Kunming Railway Station at 8:12 am The 328-km line allows trains to run at 200 km per hour, according to China Railway Kunming Group.

The construction took more than five years. Travel time between Kunming and Dali has been cut from over five hours to less than two hours.

"In the same time it takes to go from downtown Kunming to the suburbs by car, you can arrive in Dali with its fresh air and beautiful scenery," said Liu Mingzhu, a 60-year-old Kunming resident who took the first train on Sunday.

The operation of the railway means the western part of Yunnan, a popular tourist destination, is now linked to the national high-speed railway networks.