A high-speed rail line opened Friday in Southwest China's Guizhou province, connecting every city-level administrative region in the province to the national high-speed rail network and creating a one-hour high-speed travel circle centered on provincial capital Guiyang.

"Signal clear, doors closed, on time!" At 9:38 am, driver Wang Changli gave the order, and the inaugural train departed Xingyi South Railway Station.

The new line links Panzhou and Xingyi in the province's southwest. It runs about 99 kilometers and is designed for speeds of 250 kilometers per hour.

The route crosses extensive and complex karst terrain, bringing Xingyi, the capital of the Qianxinan Bouyei and Miao autonomous prefecture, onto the high-speed rail map.

A Xingyi resident surnamed Yang told local media the line makes travel from Xingyi much more convenient. "It's so fast that going to Guiyang feels like going to the market — you can go and be back the same day," she said.

The new line will further improve the region's transport network and is expected to boost local economic development, especially by making it easier for tourists to travel from Guiyang to scenic spots such as the famed Wanfenglin.

"Next, centered on the high-speed rail, we will establish several logistics parks, economic clusters, and tourist distribution centers along the route," Zhang Kun of the Guizhou provincial department of transport said.

Jiang Guoyun, general manager of Guizhou Railway Investment Group, the project investor, said the company will promote railway networking, fill gaps, and strengthen supply chains to build a more complete and efficient modern rail network.