China unveils new high-speed Beijing-Shanghai rail

Foreign reporters gathered at 8:30 a.m. Monday at the Beijing South Railway Station at the invitation of China’s foreign and railway ministries.

Hosted ahead of the official opening of the high-speed railway linking Beijing and Shanghai Thursday, the event was a part of a program to take foreign media representatives for a ride in the highly anticipated train to and from Shanghai.

The trip was more than a test drive, however. Sixty experts from the companies in charge of high-speed railway construction were on board to answer reporters’ questions over the 10-hour trip.

When questions arose over China’s technology, the experts worked together for a joint defense. They uniformly claimed that China’s high-speed railway had the world’s best technology.

Named G1, the train started from Beijing South Railway Station at 9 a.m. with more than 200 reporters and Chinese Foreign Ministry officials on board. Running at 300 kilometers (186 miles) per hour, the train stopped only once at Nanjing South Railway Station throughout the 1,318-kilometer (819 miles) distance that lasted through Hongqiao Station in Shanghai.

The train arrived at the station at 1:48 p.m. after traveling exactly 4 hours and 48 minutes as scheduled. Among the 16 passenger cars, the two in the front were for the second-highest level VIP guests and the third car for business-class travelers.

All three cars were designed for passengers to travel by lying fully on their seats. The legs could lie higher than the head.

The restaurant was in the ninth car. The train going from Shanghai to Beijing was changed to G38.

Travelers can plug their laptop computers into in-seat power systems and use wireless Internet, though the service breaks down from time to time. Mobile phones can be used without problem.

The train is virtually without vibration as water bottles do not fall even when placed upside down.

bonhong@donga.com