Beijing-Shanghai high speed rail line opens

Listen to this article

The Beijing–Shanghai high speed rail line has opened today with simultaneous departures from Beijing and Shanghai at 15.00, to tie in with celebrations surrounding the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party.

Tickets for the first journeys went on sale at 9am on Friday 24th June and sold out within an hour.

The 1,320km long line connects two major economic zones in China; the Bohai Sea Rim and the Yangtze River Delta.

Construction of the line cost $33 billion and it is able to carry 80 million passengers a year which is double the current capacity on the route.

The line has a top speed of 350km/h but its operating speed is set at 250 and 300km/h. At this latter speed, it would take 4 hours and 48 minutes for the journey, with one stop in Nanjing South.

Chief Engineer at the Ministry of Railways said this is not because the high speed line is ‘unsafe’;

“The adjustments to the operating speed and operation mode of the railway were made to meet the people’s needs, to increase its transport capacity and economic benefits, and to reduce costs and energy consumption. It is not because the high-speed railway is unsafe,” said He Huawu.

Almost 6,000 test runs have been conducted on the line, exceeding 2 million kilometres.

The speed of the trains may be increased in the future but this will depend on ‘the passenger flow and demand’.

The ticket prices of the Beijing-Shanghai line range from 410-1,750 yuan one way ($62-270) which is significantly cheaper than a flight covering the same cities.

The opening of the line will also allow up to 50 million extra tons of freight to be transported on the old line between Beijing and Shanghai.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest Rail News

ORR review leads to 50% reduction in maximum fees for ticket refunds

New rules will mean that from 2 April the maximum fee that train operators and ticket retailers can charge...

More like this...