The travel time from the city of Harbin to the city of Hunchun, in Jilin province has been cut to just over 5 hours thanks to the high-speed train line that opened on Sept 20, with tickets costing 299 yuan ($47) for a first-class seat and 224.5 yuan for second class, local media reported.

This is the first direct passenger train service between the two cities, offering a great new choice and an alternative to the intercity buses. It will allow the Harbin-Qiqihar high-speed railway line to connect with other railway lines and intercity buses in neighboring provinces to form a larger transportation network for the Northeast.

The line runs from the Harbin Railway Station to big Jilin cities, such as Changchun, Jilin, Yanji, Tumen and Hunchun, with more than 10 stations -- Harbin, Harbin West, Shuangcheng North, Fuyu North, Dehui West, Changchun, Jilin, Jiaohe West, Dunhua, Antu West, Yanji West, Tumen North, and Hunchun.