Society

First bullet train trips depart on Beijing-Shanghai line

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-06-30 15:46

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BEIJING - The first commercial bullet train trips on the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway departed at 3 pm Thursday, one from Shanghai and the other from Beijing.

Premier Wen Jiabao attended the open-to-traffic ceremony in Beijing and himself took the bullet train to Shanghai.

The 1,318-kilometer trip, links together the country's prosperous Pan-Bohai and Yangtze River Delta economic zones, cutting the train-travel time between the two cities to under five hours from two days half a century ago.

The rail line, which has been operating on a trial basis since mid-May, opened one year ahead of schedule.