A high-speed train runs on a bridge during its trial trip from Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province to Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 14, 2012.(Photo/Xinhua)

Stewardesses walk out of the railway station in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, Dec. 14, 2012.(Photo/Xinhua)

Stewardesses work on a high-speed train during a trial trip from Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province to Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 14, 2012. (Photo/Xinhua)

A worker checks a bridge across the Yellow River to prepare for the opening of Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, Dec. 14, 2012. (Photo/Xinhua)

A high-speed train runs on a bridge during its trial trip from Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province to Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 14, 2012.

China is set to open the world's longest high-speed railway on Dec. 26, linking Beijing and the southern economic center of Guangzhou, the Ministry of Railways (MOR) announced Friday.

Running at an average speed of 300 km per hour, the 2,298-km Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway will cut travel time between the two cities to about 8 hours. Designed with a maximum speed of 350 km per hour, the railway has 35 stops in major cities, including Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province, Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province and Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province.