Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail completes laying track

THE new 1,318-kilometre Beijing-Shanghai railway, which claims to be the world's longest "high-speed" rail link, has completed laying track, reports Xinhua.

This CNY220.9 billion (US$33.3 billion) railway building started in April 2008 and is scheduled to open in 2012. Once completed, transit time between the two cities will be cut from 10 to four hours.

The line will also link China's two important economic zones, the Pan-Bohai Bay area in north China and the Yangtze River Delta region, by passing through some of China's richest and fastest developing regions, including Tianjin, Shandong and Jiangsu.

In October, a 202-kph (125 mph) connection Shanghai and Hangzhou, capital of east Zhejiang province, became operational, extending the country's high-speed rail operation to 7,431 kilometres.
(Source:www.schednet.com)