Beijing-Shanghai Bullet Train Planned

The construction of a high speed rail line connecting Chinese capital Beijing and Shanghai will begin within the year and will be completed in 2010, according to a Chinese Railroad ministry announcement Monday.

The ministry said that it will complete the construction of the 1,318km-long Xinghu Express Rail line linking Beijing and Shanghai by 2010, when the Shanghai Expo is held.

The total construction cost is estimated at 130 billion yuan, or 100 million yuan per kilometer.

The express railway will link Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai, and also pass through four major provinces in mid-eastern China: Hebei, Shandong, Anhui, and Jiangsu.

Linking 11 cities with a population of over one million each, a total of 21 stations will be built.

The train’s top speed will be 350km per hour, but at the initial stage, it will run at 300km per hour. The express rail linking Beijing with Shanghai will take about five hours travel time, which is less than half of what it takes now (12 hours).

Once completed, the express railway will be in charge of 160 million annual travelers and 130 tons annual cargo.

Japan’s Shinkansen, France’s TGV, and Germany’s ICE have competed for construction contracts, but Chinese government has decided to construct over 70 percent of the line with its own technology. Japan was known to be the strongest candidate inside the Chinese government, but ultimately it decided on the construction with its own technology, considering Chinese public sentiment against Japan.

The fare is yet to be decided, but it will be cheaper than plane tickets.

Yoo-Seong Hwang yshwang@donga.com