A new passenger railway linking Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province and Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province will go into operation at the end of this year, cutting travel time between the two cities from 10 to 3 hours.

The new express rail will run at 350 kilometers per hour, covering 25 newly-built stations across Hubei and Hunan Provinces, as well as South China's Guangdong Province, the Guangzhou Daily reported Tuesday.

Railway authorities in Central China's Hubei Province said the new line will greatly ease transportation pressure on the region during the Chinese Spring Festival, the country's peak travel season, when hundreds of millions travel to their hometowns for family reunions.

Thousands wait for hours in long lines at the railway stations in order to buy train tickets during this season, while others who can't get tickets have to abandon their plans for a holiday reunion.

By 2030, 300 million passengers will have taken the new railway, the Reform and Development Commission of Hubei Province predicted, easing the headache of buying tickets during the Spring Festival for many people.

(Xinhua News Agency October 28, 2009)