SZBeijinghighspeedrailtoopenDec26

From: Shenzhen Daily

Updated: 2012-12-17 10:12

PASSENGERS traveling from Shenzhen to Beijing will have another option starting Dec. 26 as the high-speed rail line opens, shortening travel time between the two cities to 10 hours 21 minutes.

The new rail line is an extension that links existing Zhengzhou-Wuhan, Wuhan-Guangzhou, and Guangzhou-Shenzhen lines.

A pair of high-speed trains will operate every day between Shenzhen North Railway Station and Beijing West Railway Station, stopping at 13 stations along the way. The exact timetable and ticket fares remain undisclosed.

There has been speculation that ticket fees will be around 1,000 yuan (US$160) according to the current average of 0.4 yuan per kilometer, 500 yuan higher than a hard-sleeper ticket currently costs. That cost would be higher than an air ticket from Shenzhen to Beijing offered at a 60-percent discount in off-peak seasons.

Passing through 29 cities in five provinces and Beijing, the Shenzhen-Beijing rail line will become the world"s longest high-speed rail line extending 2,400 kilometers. Parallel with the existing Beijing-Guangzhou rail line, it covers important economic hubs around Bohai Bay, cities in central China, the metropolitan region around Wuhan City, the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan industrial zone and the Pearl River Delta region.

The rail line is expected to relieve the heavily pressurized transportation system during holidays as the New Year and Spring Festival draw near.

The rail line will connect Hong Kong with Beijing when construction of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong rail line is completed in 2015.

Zhou Li, head of the technology department at the Ministry of Railways, said a series of preventive measures had been taken to ensure the safety of the rail line.

The new line is expected to cause a boom in tourism as more popular tourist destinations will be visited by travelers on short journeys. According to data from railway stations, tourism from the Pearl River Delta region to Wuhan and Changsha has seen a 20-percent increase from before the Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed rail line was put into service.

Tourists from Shenzhen to Hunan and Hubei provinces have also surged since the Guangzhou-Shenzhen high-speed rail line opened.

Many Hong Kong and Guangdong enterprises are seeking to expand their business into cities along the high-speed rail line.

Migrant workers will also be affected because they can now visit their hometowns much more easily.

"Given the comfort and convenience of high-speed rails, it is certain to be popular with travelers," said Li Yangchun, vice chairman of Guangdong Federation of Industry and Commerce.

New line to cut travel time

THE Ministry of Railways formally announced Friday that the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed rail line would be put into service Dec. 26, cutting the total travel time to about eight hours at an average speed of 300 kilometers an hour.

A total of 155 pairs of trains will be put into operation. The whole line includes 35 stops, covering cities including Beijing, Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Changsha and Guangzhou with a length of 2,298 kilometers. The rail line will be connected with other existing lines to upgrade the country"s high-speed rail system.

The railway operation map is also realigned according to traveler flows in different seasons to reduce the inconvenience of ticket-buying ahead of major holidays.

Source:Shenzhen Daily