Premier Wen Jiabao (right) shakes hands with Li Dongxiao, the driver of the first commercial bullet train from Beijing on the Shanghai- Beijing high-speed railway yesterday. Wen joined other passengers on board the train in Beijing, calling the service a new chapter in China's railway history. Wen said the 1,318-kilometer link was of great significance to the country's transport system and would promote economic and social development while satisfying people's need for swift movement. Wen urged the rail operator to ensure the service remained safe and continue to raise standards. The new service cuts travel between the two cities to under five hours.
On board were thousands of passengers, from railway construction workers to government officials and ordinary people keen to play their part in railway history.
China's largest rail project saw its first commercial trip along the 1,318-kilometer line set off to the sound of cheers after a short speech by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
"Railway departments must give top priority to safety while continuing to improve their service quality," Wen said at Beijing South Railway Station before he boarded Train G1.
"The rail line has significant meaning for completing a modern transport system and improving economic development," said Wen, extending his thanks to the railway builders.
On the train, Wen talked to passengers, including 25 workers who took part in the construction of the rail line.
"I have the same feeling as you all - it's fast and comfortable," Xinhua news agency quoted Wen as saying.
The premier told passengers that the pricing of high-speed railways must satisfy the demands of different kinds of consumers, saying the country would keep the current passenger rail lines that run at ordinary speeds while developing high-speed rails.
"Different transportation on the railways, the roads, in the air and the waterways should compete and coordinate with each other to facilitate the economic and social development to satisfy people's needs," he was quoted.
Wen got off the train 21 minutes later when it arrived at Langfang Station, one of the 24 stations along the route.
China has the world's longest bullet train rail track with 8,358 kilometers in service and another 17,000 kilometers under construction.
High-speed rail projects are seen as vital to the country's growing economy.
More than 50 years ago, trains needed almost two days to complete the journey from Shanghai to the capital. Yesterday, it took just 10 minutes for Train G2 leaving from Shanghai to reach a speed of 300 kilometers per hour. It arrived in Beijing shortly before 8pm.
In the 16-carriage train, in which almost half the seats were taken by railway builders and officials, many passengers said they had been keen to be the first to experience the trip.
"I'm very happy to begin my summer holiday boarding the train," said student Liu Zhiwen, who had bought the most expensive ticket available, at 1,750 yuan.
Farmers working in the fields dotted along the track stopped to stare at the speeding bullet train which would soon become a common sight. It's changing the landscape in other ways too. Buildings and other infrastructures are being erected around the rail stations in some inland cities.
"It's a totally different picture from years ago," said George Koons, a tourist from the United States who last visited China about 10 years ago. Koons, lining up at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, had a ticket on Train G152, the next train after the G2, Shanghai's first high-speed train to Beijing.
However, one passenger almost missed the experience.
A man surnamed Wang, who had booked his ticket online, said he had to queue up for a long time to claim his ticket at the Hongqiao station.
Wang said the operator should set up special windows for passengers like him.Onboard, there were complaints about the poor WiFi and mobile phone signals, two things the operator had promised to improve.
The trains are expected to handle more than 150,000 passengers a day, said Wang Yongping, a railway ministry spokesman.
Sun Zhang, a professor at Shanghai's Tongji University, said that the line would help to promote urban-rural integration and sustainable regional development.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/National/2011/07/01/Bullet%2Btrains%2Benter%2Bthe%2Bhistory%2Bbooks/
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