The high-speed railway line connecting Beijing and Zhangjiakou, the co-host city of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, went into operation on Monday, the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said.

The railway is 174 km long, with a maximum design speed of 350 kph. Ten stations are along the line.

It will reduce the travel time between Beijing and Zhangjiakou in north China's Hebei Province from currently over three hours to 47 minutes.

The railway underwent test runs earlier this month.