A high-speed train G9228 arrives at the Pingdu Railway Station in Qingdao on Nov 26, which heads to Jinan East Railway Station. [Photo/news.bandao.cn]

When the Weifang-Laixi High-speed Railway began operating Nov 26, Laixi, a county-level city in Qingdao, Shandong province, entered the high-speed rail era.

The railway starts from Weifang North Station, runs through Changyi South Station in Weifang and Pingdu North Station in Qingdao, and ends at Laixi North Station in Qingdao. The line is 125.97 kilometers long and has a planned speed of 350 kilometers per hour.

With investment of 16.13 billion yuan ($2.46 billion), the high-speed railway is an important part of the Jinan-Qingdao high-speed railway network and mainly serves passengers from surrounding cities.

According to local officials, the new railway will promote coordinated development between port cities and inland counties in Shandong. It also makes Laixi, which is located on the inland of Shandong Peninsula, a high-speed railway hub that will bring great opportunities for the city's development.

The renovated and expanded Laixi North Station has also been put into operation, with modern facilities and handy services for passengers.

The travel time from Laixi to Beijing will be shortened from four and a half hours to two and a half, and the time to Jinan will be shortened from two and a half hours to just over one hour. It will only take half an hour from Laixi to Weifang, and the fastest train to Qingdao North Station will take only 25 minutes.

Laixi Station is the starting point for the Weifang-Laixi railway. [Photo/VCG]

Laixi Station prepares for the opening of the Weifang-Laixi railway on Nov 25. [Photo/VCG]