GUIYANG, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- A railway connecting Chongqing and Guiyang, two major cities in southwest China, will open Jan. 25, China Railway Chengdu Group Co. Ltd., the project's builder, announced on Thursday.

With a total length of 347 kilometers, the railway will have 12 stops.Designed for passenger trains running at a speed of 200 km per hour, the railway will improve traffic between China's southwest and the rest of the country.

The railway will cut travel time between Chongqing Municipality and Guiyang, capital of Guizhou Province, from the current 10 hours to 2 hours, and shorten travel time between Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, and Guiyang to 3.5 hours, the company said.

It will also significantly shorten trips between Sichuan, Guizhou, Chongqing and eastern coastal areas.

A trial run of the railway was carried out on Dec. 24, 2017.