China operates the world's longest high-speed rail

China on December 26 officially opened the world's longest high-speed railway from Beijing to Guangzhou, and is expected to connect the route to Hong Kong.

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According to CCTV, the first ship from Beijing to Guangzhou left Beijing West Station at 9 am as scheduled. The ships will run at 300km / h, reducing travel time from 21 hours to 8 hours, according to the Chinese Ministry of Railways.

The new route with a record length of 2,300km and is expected to connect to Hong Kong. In this administrative district, about 8,000 workers are participating in the construction of a 26km underground railway, which runs from central Hong Kong to mainland China and connects to the Beijing-Guangzhou route, the construction company. build MTR Corp 66.

This $ 8.6 billion link "will facilitate Hong Kong's economic and social integration with cities in the Pearl River Delta, as well as major cities in China. continent , " Bloomberg quoted MTR as saying. The project is expected to be completed in 2015, and can transport 99,000 guests a day in 2016.

Map of Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway (red, middle)
among other high-speed rail lines of China. (Photo: Bloomberg)

The Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed rail line is part of a plan to build 16,000km of high-speed rail to 2015, despite last year's high-speed train crash. The route has 35 stops and is built so that the train can reach speeds of 350km / h. The new service can attract airline customers and make some companies lower fares, according to Barclays Plc.

China has recently increased its investment in railway projects, as the government is trying to boost the growth of the world's second-largest economy. The Chinese State Development and Reform Commission earlier this month also approved a $ 10 billion subway construction plan in Changsha city, the capital of Hunan province.