World longest high-speed railway open in China / Asia News

CRH380 (China Railway High-speed) Harmony bullet trains are seen at a high-speed train maintenance base in Wuhan, Hubei province, early December 25, 2012. China will open the world's longest high-speed rail line this week when a link between Beijing and the southern metropolis of Guangzhou is inaugurated, officials said on Saturday, underscoring its commitment to a trouble-plagued transport scheme. Rail investment slowed sharply in the wake of that accident and state media reported earlier this year that the government had cut planned railway investment by 500 billion yuan ($80.27 billion) to 2.3 trillion yuan under a five-year plan to 2015.

Spanning the length of China, the world’s longest high-speed train line stretches for almost 1,500 miles and has 35 stops.

The line will carry new bullet-style trains at speeds of up to 220mph (350kph) and reduce the travel time from 22 hours to just eight hours.

There are 35 stops along the route in major cities spanning the length of the country including Shijiazhuang, capital of northern China’s Hebei Province; Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan; Wuhan, the capital of central China’s Hubei Province; and Changsha, in Hunan Province.

The building cost has not been revealed, but it was built in a fraction of the time it has taken to build the Crossrail system in London, which spans a distance – through new tunnels – of 13 miles (21km) and is not due for completion until 2017, and the new UK High Speed Two (HS2), which is still awaiting the construction green light.

But China does not have the planning regulations required for UK projects and there is not as much concern about the environmental considerations.

China currently has 5,350 miles (8,600km) of operating high-speed railway, more than any other nation in the world. The plan is to extend the rail network to a staggering 9,950 miles (16,000km) of track by 2015.

This photo shows a view from the window of a high-speed train during a journey organised for journalists to showcase a newly-built section of track through Hebei province, south of Beijing on December 22, 2012. China was showing off to the media the final link of the world's longest high-speed rail route, set to open on December 26, stretching from Beijing to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. Travelling at around 300 kph, trains on the new route are expected to cover the 2,298-kilometre (1,425-mile) journey in a third of the current time from 22 hours to eight.

The improved and expanded services have lured people away from the growing number of domestic airlines in China.

The Chinese airline industry is increasingly suffering from chronic delays because of congested airspace and bad weather. The train is seen by many as a more reliable and cheaper alternative.

In a statement, China’s ministry of railways said: “This service marks a significant milestone of our high-speed rail construction. It will ease pressure on the rail transport between Beijing and Guangzhou, especially during the peak Chinese New Year holiday.”

The new line will compete with the first domestic route used by the Airbus superjumbo, the A380.

China Southern Airlines has operated the double decker A380 between Beijing and Guangzhou for the past year. The cost of a ticket is higher, but the journey time is just three hours.

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