China has unveiled the world's highest tunnel for high speed trains, linking different location in northwest China with elevation stretching over 3,600 meters, ChinaDaily reported on Saturday.

The tunnel, which measures 16.3 kilometers long, connects the provinces of Gansu and Xinjiang. It also passes through a bridge and two sections of the Qilian Mountains, the report said.

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The construction of the world's highest tunnel started in 2009. According to Guo Yuhong of China Railway 20th Group Co Ltd, the construction of the tunnel has solved the most difficult part for the Lanxin high-speed railway.

The newly opened railway linked the capital of Gansu, Lanzhou with Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi. The 1,776-km railway stretches across the Qinghai and Gansu provinces to Xinjiang and passes through the Gobo Desert.

The tunnel has been designed for trains running at a speed of 200 km per hour, cutting the travel time from Lanzhou to Urumqi by eight hours from its previous travel time of 20 hours.

The railway, which is scheduled to be used by the end of this year, was valued at US $23 billion and is one of the major infrastructure projects in China.

Aside from being the record holder of the highest tunnel in the world, China is also home to the fifth and ninth longest tunnel in the world - the Taihang tunnel, which measures 27.8 km long, and the Wushaoling tunnel, which measures 21.05 km long, respectively.

Other tunnels that hold records in the world included Japan's Seikan tunnel, which stretches 53.85 km and passes through Tsugaru Strait, linking Honshu islands and Hokkaido; UK's Channel tunnel in English Channel bordering UK and France, which connects Folkestone and Pas-de-Calais; and India's railway Tunnel, which passes through Pir Panjal mountain range and measures 11 km long.

TagsGansu, Lanzhou, Xinjiang, Urumqi, world's highest tunnel