JOIN USThe trains reduced the travel time from 78 minutes to 45 minutes while covering the distance of 202 km. After 20 months of construction, the 202-km high-speed railway linking Shanghai and Hangzhou extends the nation's in-service high-speed rail network to 7,431 kilometres, state media here reported today.
The ticket price for the nine-stop train between Shanghai and Hangzhou costs 156 yuan (USD 23.4) for a first-class seat and 98 yuan for a second-class seat. China launched its first high-speed line -- a service linking the capital and the port city of Tianjin -- during the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Earlier last month, the Shanghai-Hangzhou high-speed line hit a speed of 416.6 kmph. On Oct 20, He Huawu, chief engineer of Chinese Ministry of Railways said a high-speed technology that could enable the train to reach 500 kmph was in its final phase of development.
"We want to lead the world in high-speed railway construction," He said.