The Shanghai-Nanjing and Shanghai-Hangzhou high-speed railways began operation this year, and the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway is also expected to be operational by the end of 2011. In the future, high-speed rail will also connect Shanghai and Hong Kong, China's two financial centers, according to the Ministry of Railways.



The high-speed rail from Shanghai to Hong Kong is expected to begin service by the end of 2012 or in early 2013. By then, the fastest direct train from Shanghai to Hong Kong will take only 6 hours. Right now, traveling from Shanghai station to Kowloon Station takes nearly 19 hours.



The Ministry of Railways spokesman Wang Yongping said the Hong Kong-Shanghai high-speed rail journey is approximately 1,300 kilometers in length.



When construction is finished, the Shanghai-Hangzhou high-speed rail will be connected to the Hangzhou-Ningbao section, the Ningbo-Fuzhou section, the Fuzhou-Xiamen section, Xiamen-Shenzhen section and finally reach all the way to Hong Kong.

The Ningbo-Fuzhou and Fuzhou-Xiamen sections have already been opened, and the Xiamen-Shenzhen section and Hangzhou-Ningbo section will be opened in middle of 2012, and in the end of next year, respectively.



By Yan Meng, People's Daily Online