Introducing the Shanghai-Nanjing high-speed railway

The Shanghai-Nanjing high-speed railway made its first journey in July 2010 as another step to rapidly connect the two key cities. Running at a top speed of 350 km/hr and taking only 73 minutes non-stop (as opposed to over two hours on the train with intermediate stops and over four hours on the slow train), the line is part of a bigger effort in which the Chinese government is using ¥6 trillion to construct 50,000 km of high-speed rail to mobilize its giant population and gain revenues. The whole project is set to be finished by the year of 2020 and will include four East-West and four North-South lines.

However, the railway system has encountered some criticism. A second-class seat on the Shanghai-Nanjing high-speed rail costs 146RMB and a first-class seat is 233RMB, a price many citizens claim to be too high. In its first month, ticket sales have not been very high while long lines still frequent the ticket counters of the slow train. Furthermore, it can run at top speed for only a several dozen kilometers rather than the whole course, contrary to what had been previously claimed. Currently, Fujian-Xiamen high-speed railway is the most favorable high-speed railway in China, but other railway programs have garnered criticism for using tax revenue to build new lines then charging prices accessible only to the rich. Proponents of the new railways defend the prices claiming that the high-speed rail meets the needs of a different type of passenger at a premium and the slow trains are still available at a low price (¥47).

If you’re willing to pay the extra RMB, you can buy tickets at any train station or ticket outlets spread throughout the city (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=%E7%81%AB%E8%BD%A6%E5%94%AE%E7%A5%A8%E5%A4%84&sll=31.224252,121.526299&sspn=0.12507,0.338173&ie=UTF8&split=1&rq=1&ev=zi&radius=11.99&hq=%E7%81%AB%E8%BD%A6%E5%94%AE%E7%A5%A8%E5%A4%84&hnear=&z=12). The high-speed train leaves from either Shanghai Station or Shanghai Hongqiao Station.

Sources:
http://baike.baidu.com/view/3675213.htm
http://www.wyzxsx.com/Article/Class4/201001/127707.html
http://www.wyzxsx.com/Article/view/201007/166622.html
http://www.wyzxsx.com/Article/Class22/200909/103746.html
http://www.wyzxsx.com/Article/view/201008/170508.html