Public faith in high-speed rail was devastated in 2011 when a train crash killed 40 people and injured nearly 200, raising safety worries on the fast-expanding network.

Corruption is another concern. Former Railways Minister Liu Zhijun was given a suspended death sentence for accepting more than 64m yuan ($10m) in bribes over 25 years, notably, for awarding government rail contracts. His confession implicated nearly 20 top railway officials, besides senior SOE leaders and business bigwigs.

The project weighed heavily on finances. By September, national railway operator the China Railway Corporation owed 3.5 trillion yuan in debt; at least 2 trillion yuan of that amount went for the construction of high-speed railways.

