The first high-speed rail in Ningxia Hui autonomous region, linking its capital city, Yinchuan to Wuzhong and Zhongwei city, was put into operation on Sunday, promoting the region's transport and tourism development.

The 212-km line has seven stations and passes three cities, with a designed speed of 250 kilometers per hour for trains, according to Ningxia Inter-city Railway Company.

It reduces travel time from Yinchuan to Zhongwei from 2 hours and 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, the company said.

"It's so convenient to go to the airport thanks to the high-speed train," said Wang Lei, who spent 45 minutes on the train from Hongsipu North Railway Station in Wuzhong to Hedong Airport Railway Station in Yinchuan.

The high-speed rail line is part of the rail network linking Beijing and Lanzhou in Northwest China's Gansu province, as a key east-to-west rail line in the country.

The rail line will help promote tourism development and poverty alleviation in Ningxia, and also strengthen its role in the Belt and Road Initiative, local transport authorities said.

According to Mao Yangbo, head of the company's engineering department, railcards will be rolled out in the future.

"Taking the trains will just be like taking buses, where passengers can use both railcards and electronic tickets," Mao said.