China has opened the first stretch of a new high-speed railway in the western region of Xinjiang as a result of the central government’s efforts to promote economic development.

The 1,100-mile Lanxin Railway will connect Urumqi (the capital of Xinjiang) with Lanzhou, which is the capital of the north-western province of Gansu.

The first stretch goes from Urumqi to Hami, in eastern Xinjiang. The journey time between these cities will be more than halved — to 3hr — by trains that can travel at more than 120mph. The whole railway is expected to be open by the end of the year.

Over the past year, President Xi Jinping has revealed ambitious plans to open western China and to build a new Silk Road network of land and sea routes that would connect China to its neighbours in Central and South East Asia.