China unveils world’s longest bullet train

Beijing, January 5 

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China today launched its longest bullet train “Shangri-la of the World” from Kunming, capital of southwest China’s Yunnan Province, to Beijing, expanding its high speed train network to about 20,000 km connecting almost all provinces. 

The train left Kunming at 11.05 am on a 2,760-km trip to Beijing, which takes about 13 hours.

The train’s name highlights the world famous resort in Shangri-la of Yunnan, a name first appearing in British novelist James Hilton’s “Lost Horizon.” A ticket for a second-class seat on the train from Kunming to Beijing costs 1,147.5 yuan ($166). The line is also the longest east-west high-speed railway in China.

A longer rail line stretching north to south is the 2,298-km Beijing-Guangzhou line, put into operation in 2012. China has built more than 20,000 km of high-speed rail lines.

According to the government’s plan, the mileage will increase to 45,000 km by 2030. The launch of the Shanghai-Kunming line means the country’s high-speed rail grid has taken shape. — PTI