A new high-speed railway link has slashed travel time between Shanghai and Huzhou in Zhejiang province to a mere 55 minutes from the previous two hours.

The Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou high-speed railway officially commenced operations on Thursday, linking Shanghai, Suzhou in Jiangsu province and Huzhou in Zhejiang province in the Yangtze River Delta region. Stretching approximately 164 kilometers and interspersed with eight stations, the new link is expected to promote regional growth. The two destination stations, Shanghai Hongqiao and Huzhou, are existing ones, while the remaining six stations are new.

The new line will help Huzhou, located at the center of the Yangtze River Delta region, to integrate more deeply with the regional growth process. Travelers from Huzhou will be able to reach Shanghai, Nanjing in Jiangsu province, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province and Hefei in Anhui province within an hour, making it the only city with such connectivity in the region.

On the train, Elke Funke from Germany, who has lived in China for 14 years, was brimming with excitement. As a fan of traditional Chinese culture, she has visited Nanxun multiple times.

"It's a really nice area with a special atmosphere, blending water town charm with ancient culture and history. During the Chinese New Year holiday, I plan to visit Huzhou and Shanghai," she said.

Funke works in Shengze town in Jiangsu province, and occasionally visits her Chinese and German friends in Shanghai and Zhejiang province. Now, with the opening of the new line, the travel time from Shengze, one of the new stations on the route, to Shanghai will be around 30 minutes, and it takes only 28 minutes to reach Huzhou.

"It was challenging to travel to Shanghai or Zhejiang before this railway opened. Driving involved traffic and parking issues. Now it's much easier, and I can meet my friends more frequently," she said after boarding a train at Huzhou Station and enjoying the convenience of the high-speed railway.

Video from Huzhou International Communication Center