<p>China today launched its longest bullet train "Shangri-la of the World" from Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province to Beijing, expanding its high speed train network to about 20,000 kms connecting almost all provinces.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The train left Kunming at 11:05 am on a 2,760-km trip to Beijing, which takes about 13 hours.<br /><br />The train's name highlights the world famous resort in Shangri-la of Yunnan, a name first appearing in British novelist James Hilton's "Lost Horizon."<br /><br />A ticket for a second-class seat on the train from Kunming to Beijing costs 1,147.5 yuan (USD 166).<br /><br />The line is also the longest east-west high-speed railway in China.<br />A longer rail line stretching north to south is the 2,298-km Beijing-Guangzhou line, put into operation in 2012.<br /><br />China has built more than 20,000 km of high-speed rail lines.<br />According to the government's plan, the mileage will increase to 45,000 km by 2030.<br />The launch of the Shanghai-Kunming line means the country's high-speed rail grid has taken shape, connecting almost all provinces on the Chinese mainland.<br /><br />China is also aggressively marketing its bullet train technology in different countries including India effectively competing with Japan.<br /><br />China will build more bullet train network as part of its efforts to establish a comprehensive transport system by 2020 an official white paper issued today said.<br /><br />The white paper, titled Development of China's Transport, said China will increase the length of high-speed railways in service to 30,000 kms from the present 20000 kms by 2020 linking more than 80 per cent of its big cities.</p>
<p>China today launched its longest bullet train "Shangri-la of the World" from Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province to Beijing, expanding its high speed train network to about 20,000 kms connecting almost all provinces.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The train left Kunming at 11:05 am on a 2,760-km trip to Beijing, which takes about 13 hours.<br /><br />The train's name highlights the world famous resort in Shangri-la of Yunnan, a name first appearing in British novelist James Hilton's "Lost Horizon."<br /><br />A ticket for a second-class seat on the train from Kunming to Beijing costs 1,147.5 yuan (USD 166).<br /><br />The line is also the longest east-west high-speed railway in China.<br />A longer rail line stretching north to south is the 2,298-km Beijing-Guangzhou line, put into operation in 2012.<br /><br />China has built more than 20,000 km of high-speed rail lines.<br />According to the government's plan, the mileage will increase to 45,000 km by 2030.<br />The launch of the Shanghai-Kunming line means the country's high-speed rail grid has taken shape, connecting almost all provinces on the Chinese mainland.<br /><br />China is also aggressively marketing its bullet train technology in different countries including India effectively competing with Japan.<br /><br />China will build more bullet train network as part of its efforts to establish a comprehensive transport system by 2020 an official white paper issued today said.<br /><br />The white paper, titled Development of China's Transport, said China will increase the length of high-speed railways in service to 30,000 kms from the present 20000 kms by 2020 linking more than 80 per cent of its big cities.</p>