CHENGDU -- A train started on Saturday morning from Chengdu, the capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, heading for Hong Kong.

It marked the opening of a direct high-speed train service between Chengdu and Hong Kong.

The train left Chengdu at 8:48 am and arrived in Hong Kong after about ten hours, passing ten other stops, including the scenic tourist city of Guilin and Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province.

China's railways implement a new operating plan starting Saturday to improve passenger and cargo transport capacity, service quality, and operation efficiency. The high-speed railway route from Chengdu to Shenzhen extends to the West Kowloon Station.

Saturday marks the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.

Mao Ping, a 46-year-old passenger from the Mianyang city of Sichuan, was excited to be on board the train. She told Xinhua that after learning about the opening of the new route from news reports, she talked to family and friends and planned this trip to Hong Kong.

"After staying in Hong Kong for several days, I will also return by train," she said. "I can have morning tea in Hong Kong and a hotpot later in Chengdu for supper."

The service will further boost people-to-people exchanges and economic cooperation between the two destinations and enhance the co-development of Chengdu with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to the China Railway Chengdu Bureau Group Co Ltd.