The country continues its plans with newly revealed ticket prices and top speeds, all under pressure to have a spotless safety record

Reuters/Jason Lee

What changes the debate over high-speed trains yielded were revealed yesterday: lower ticket prices and slower top speeds, all to increase passenger volume and reduce the cost of operations. But the project of an integrated high-speed rail network will continue apace, according to the railway ministry officials. Over the 12th Five-Year Plan period, China is expected to have 120,000 kilometers of total rail, of which 45,000 kilometers will be high speed. Total spending on rail over those years is estimated to come in at around $430 billion. So no significant u-turn as I had expected--only modest compromises on a project that should continue to drive a whole lot of investment.

The ticket prices were revealed weeks before the Beijing-Shanghai line--which will cover 1,300 kilometers in five hours--commences operation at the end of June. Somewhat unexpected, the tickets were priced below expectations, likely to compete with airlines, which are generally competitive at distances over 1,000km. Ticket prices are as follows (you can apparently get them here):