Podcast

Trial runs of Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway to begin

Updated: 2011-05-11 11:04

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The long-anticipated Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway will start a one-month trial operation on Wednesday, before its formal launch in late June, a railway official said.

The railway authority has also decided that the fastest train service between the two mega-cities will make an extra stop, in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, according to an official with the transport bureau under the Ministry of Railways.

The travel time between Beijing and Shanghai will be about five hours, even though the ministry said earlier that the maximum operating speed was being reduced from 350 kilometers per hour to 300 km/h, he added.

Wang Yongping, the ministry's spokesman, said on Monday that the decision to lower the operating speed on high-speed railways was made to guarantee safety and reduce costs.

Ticket prices for the railway have yet to be announced, but the ministry has already submitted a proposal for ticket prices to the National Development and Reform Commission.

The decision to lower the operating speeds of high-speed trains is a big change introduced by the Ministry of Railways since Sheng Guangzu became the railways minister on Feb 25. He replaced Liu Zhijun, who stepped down when he became the subject of an investigation for an alleged "severe violation of discipline" on Feb 12. However, trains on the Beijing-Tianjin high-speed line and a few other inter-city lines will continue to run at a top speed of 350 km/h.

QUESTIONS

1 When will trial run begin for Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway?

2 How long is that trip?

3 Will the train make any stops?

Answers

1. A one-month trial operation will start on Wednesday, before its formal launch in late June

2. about five hours

3. The train will stop at Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province

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（中國日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語點(diǎn)津 Julie 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.