The Wushaoling Railway Tunnel, the longest of its kind in Asia, opened for business on Thursday in northwest China's Gansu Province.

The 21.05-kilometer-long tunnel, more than 2,400 meters above sea level, is a key part of the Asia-Europe Land Bridge's 3,651-km-long track from Lianyungang in east China to Urumqi in the northwest.

Designed to permit trains to travel at speeds of 160 km per hour the tunnel shortens the distance between Dacaigou and Longgou by 30.4 km.

The right hand side of the tunnel (east to west) opened on Thursday while the other, for trains traveling in the opposite direction, will be opened in October. The project provided a significant boost for transportation between China's east and west regions, a top Chinese railway official said.

The tunnel will also assist in easing the passenger transportation pressure on the Asia-Europe Land Bridge -- the cheapest and fastest Asia-Europe route. It starts from Lianyungang and goes westward to its terminal at the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the official said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 31, 2006)