China launches high-speed train

SHANGHAI: China has launched its new high-speed train which covers the distance between Shanghai and Beijing in five hours.

One-way ticket prices will range between $63 and $210, and the train runs between 250 and 300 kilometres per hour on the $33 billion new link, although the line is designed for a maximum speed of 380 kph.

China has invested heavily in its high-speed rail network, which reached 8,358 kilometres at the end of 2010 and is expected to exceed 13,000 kilometres by 2012 and 16,000 kilometres by 2020.