The first freight train departs from Bohe Port station for Maoming East station in Guangdong province, on Saturday. CHINA DAILY

The nation sees its efforts in infrastructure bearing fruit as a new freight rail line was put into operation recently.

As a key part of the infrastructure projects listed on Guangdong's 14th five-year plan (2021-25), the Maoming East-Bohe Port Railway started operating on Saturday, said China Railway 24th Bureau Group Corp Ltd (CR24), a unit of the centrally administered State-owned enterprise China Railway Construction Corp.

The official opening of the new railway marks the efforts by the SOE to play a bigger role in the Belt and Road Initiative, said CR24, which partially built the freight line.

As a key logistics route connecting inland regions in Southwest China with coastal areas, the railway will further facilitate the role that Maoming Port plays in sea-rail intermodal transport services and provide the port with a high-capacity channel for the entry and departure of cargo, said China Railway Guangzhou Group Co Ltd, the provincial rail operator in Guangdong.

The railway will also exert great force in pushing for Maoming and its surrounding area's integration into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, improve connections between international and domestic trade routes and contribute to better operation of the dual-circulation development pattern, said Tan Ying, project manager with CR24.

The railway has a total length of 49.84 kilometers and a designated speed of 120 kilometers per hour with three stations: Maoming East Station, Shuangmu Station and Bohe Port Station.

As a flagship project by Guangdong province for the railway construction goals indicated in its 14th five-year plan, the railway will also support Maoming's coastal development strategy, said Zhang Yejun, head of Maoming East-Bohe Port Railway Co Ltd, operator of the railway under the China Railway Guangzhou Group.

"Maoming is a coastal city and its port businesses play a major part in its economy. The railway project is a worthy effort by State builders to empower the city to attract more trade opportunities," Zhang said.

Undoubtedly, the Maoming-East Bohe Port Railway, another project supporting the BRI, is bound to bring long-term benefits to the development of not only the region but also the country and its trading partners, he added.