The construction took more than five years. Travel time between Kunming and Dali has been cut from over five hours to less than two hours.

"In the same time it takes to go from downtown Kunming to the suburbs by car, you can arrive in Dali with its fresh air and beautiful scenery," said Liu Mingzhu, a 60-year-old Kunming resident who took the first train on Sunday.

The operation of the railway means the western part of Yunnan, a popular tourist destination, is now linked to the national high-speed railway networks.