Beijing on Thursday launched part of a high-speed intercity rail service to link the downtown areas with its new airport.

The section between Beijing West Railway Station and Beijing Daxing International Airport, which opened to flights on Wednesday, is part of an intercity railway linking Beijing with Xiongan New Area in neighboring Hebei Province.

A total of 12 pairs of trains now run daily on the Beijing section, according to the China Railway Beijing Group Co. Ltd.

The first train departs at 6:56 a.m. from Beijing West Railway Station every day, and the last one leaves the airport station at 10:50 p.m.

Passengers can take high-speed trains from the railway station in the downtown area of Beijing directly to the city's brand new airport, with the shortest commuting time at 28 minutes.

Check-in services at the new aviation hub are located within 100 meters of the railway station exit, said Zhu Hongfeng, who is responsible for the intercity railway program of the China Railway Design Corporation.

The railway line will also offer passengers e-ticket options, which enables them to enter the station by scanning QR codes, said Chen Liyang, team leader of the Daxing airport station preparation group with China Railway Beijing Group Co., Ltd.

With a total length of more than 92 km, the newly-built intercity railway line consists of two sections. Apart from the newly-operational one between Liying Station in Daxing District and the new airport, the section linking the airport with Xiongan New Area is set to be put into operation by the end of 2020. The trains run on the existing Beijing-Kowloon Railway between Beijing West Railway Station and Liying Station.

The intercity railway line, together with several urban rail lines and expressways, will connect the airport with the city center, said the authorities.

On Thursday, an urban subway line connecting downtown Beijing with the new international airport also started operation. It takes only 19 minutes to get from Beijing's south third ring road to the new airport.

Stretching over 41 kilometers through southern Beijing, the subway line links the new airport with Caoqiao station in Fengtai District, where passengers can transfer to subway line 10.

Located 46 km south to downtown Beijing, the passenger throughput and cargo throughput of Beijing Daxing International Airport are expected to reach 72 million and 2 million tonnes respectively by 2025, with 620,000 takeoffs and landings.