Journalists experience bullet train to Beijing

A bullet train carrying 50-plus journalists set out from Shanghai this morning for a manned test on the Shanghai-Beijing High Speed Rail which is scheduled for commercial operation late this month. Running at a steady speed of 300 kilometers per hour, the train completed the 5-hour journey with only one stop in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province, before reaching its terminal, Beijing Railway Station, at 1:50pm, 8 minutes later than schedule. Each train carriage has an emergency brake handle and six emergency exits. If an accident and an earthquake occurs, power will be cut off automatically. But the train's system can sustain electricity supply and ventilation for up to 120 hours, according to the Shanghai Railway Bureau. Tickets for Beijing by bullet train will cost between 410 yuan (US$62) and 1,750 yuan. Ninety trains will serve on the high-speed rail daily with 63 trains running at 300kph and 27 at 250kph when commercial operation begins.

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