China's marathon train journey starts for Spring Festival, lasting 63 hours

(ECNS) -- China opened its longest train route on Tuesday, linking Hailar of Hulun Buir, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the north and Guangdong Province in the south.

The launch coincided with the first day of this year's Spring Festival travel rush, according to China Railway Group.

Exceeding 4,400 kilometers, and with a travel time of 63 hours and 15 minutes, the route is the longest direct passenger service from the Hulun Buir.

It sets off from Hailar Station chugging its way through 11 provinces, autonomous region, and municipality-- Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin municipality, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, and Guangdong, with 43 stops before ending its journey at the Baiyun Railway Station in Guangzhou City. The total stopover time throughout the journey adds up to 462 minutes, nearly 8 hours.

The service entered operation for the first time in January last year, according to China News Service. It covered a total distance of 4,461 kilometers with a running time of 64 hours and 15 minutes.

China's 40-day travel period began on Tuesday and will continue through Feb. 22.Passenger trips are projected to exceed 510 million, with a daily average of 12.75 million.