"It will enhance the quality of the rail service and contribute to the building of a harmonious society. It also gives full play to railways' advantages of using less energy and creating less pollution."

Liu Zhijun

Minister of Railways

"The speedup will improve the flow of people, cargo, capital and information between different areas and help boost the development of regional economies.

"In addition, because of the ease of transfer, the speedup will attract more passengers from lines that are linked to the intercity routes."

Ji Jialun

A professor with Beijing Jiaotong University

"A trip by train was tiresome in the 1970s and 80s. The old trains had no air conditioners, ran really slowly, and were always crowded with passengers. The journey between Shanghai and Beijing often took more than 20 hours.

"The speedups are always exciting news, even though the ticket price has jumped from 36 yuan 40 years ago to several hundred yuan now. I am very happy to find that there is a train, which will start from Shanghai in the morning and arrive in Beijing in the evening. I will have a chance to see the scenery along the way in daylight hours."

Hao Sijun

A 65-year-old commuter on the Beijing-Shanghai railway for almost 30 years

"The speedup makes traveling more comfortable for me. I still remember the days when I used to throw up every time I made a long-distance trip on a slow train.

"However, I don't like the fact that there are no sleepers on the new bullet trains. That means I won't be able to sleep on the journey, which is a horrible thought."

Liu Yuanyuan

A 26-year-old clerk from Nanjing who travels often

"Despite the convenience brought by the speedup, I question the fairness of the plan. The State-monopolised railway industry is already falling behind public demand and the ideal resources relocation plan would benefit the masses.

"However, by bringing in so many expensive bullet trains, it is clearly meant to benefit those people who are relatively well off."

Chen Liangwen

A researcher with the China Center for Regional Economics at Peking University

"A trip to Beijing is quite convenient now because there are so many trains operating between Shanghai and Beijing, some of which are nonstop.

"To be honest, I don't care about the speed very much, but I do want to have a pleasant journey. If the train leaves two hours earlier, it means people have to get up earlier.

"So I wish the new schedule was more flexible."

Xu Yi

An IT company clerk who makes regular business trips to Beijing

Beijing-Shanghai Railway

Completed in 1968, the line runs 1,462 km between China's two principal cities, and passes through five provinces and the Tianjin Municipality.

Since opening, it has been one of the busiest routes in the country. The Beijing-Shanghai route is currently served by 10 trains a day, five of which are nonstop, with an average journey time of just under 12 hours.

With trains being allowed to travel at up to 250 kph from today, the journey time is expected to be cut to 10 hours.

Background:

With today's sixth railway speedup, China will join the ranks of countries with high-speed rail services.

Trains will be able to run at speeds of up to 200 kph on some 6,003 km of track, and on some sections, the maximum speed will increase to 250 kph.

A high-speed train prepares to go on a trial run between Hangzhou and Shanghai on April 17, 2007. [China Daily]

As of today, trains will be able to run at speeds of up to 160 kph on 14,000 kilometers of track and up to 120 kph on 22,000 km of track.

The 6,003 km of track capable of accommodating the fastest speeds will serve both high-speed passenger and heavily loaded cargo trains, which travel at slower speeds.

Railway operators will have to address the speed gap between the two kinds of trains to make sure they both run safely.