China will open a new high-speed train service linking the central industrial hub of Wuhan with Zhuhai city on the southern coast in April.

The new service will allow a single trip of 5 hours and 14 minutes to cover the 1,123 km distance, which takes more than 13 hours by car.

Ticket sales started on Tuesday for the new service, which is scheduled to open on April 16.

The Wuhan Railway Bureau said that from April, all major train services via Wuhan will be adjusted either for higher speeds or added trains and carriages.

Train service from Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, to the tourist destinations of Kunming, Shanghai and Fuzhou will use 16-car trains instead of the current 8-car trains to double passenger volume.

The bureau will add train trips on long-distance railways passing through Wuhan, such as routes linking Shanghai to Southwest China's Chengdu and between Shanghai and Chongqing Municipality.