China Opens World's Longest High-Speed Railway

The high-speed passenger service is under way

The building cost has not been revealed, but it was built in a fraction of the time it has taken to build the Crossrail system in London, which spans a distance - through new tunnels - of 13 miles (21km) and is not due for completion until 2017, and the new UK High Speed Two (HS2), which is still awaiting the construction green light.

But China does not have the planning regulations required for UK projects and there is not as much concern about the environmental considerations.

China currently has 5,350 miles (8,600km) of operating high-speed railway, more than any other nation in the world.

The plan is to extend the rail network to a staggering 9,950 miles (16,000km) of track by 2015.

The improved and expanded services have lured people away from the growing number of domestic airlines in China.

China has opened the world's longest high speed train line. It runs nearly 1500 miles from Beijing in the north to Guangzhou in the south and reduces journey time from 22 hours to just eight.

The world's longest high speed rail route has opened in China, covering a distance of 1,427 miles (2,298km).

The first passenger train departed from Beijing in the north for Guangzhou on the country's southern coast at 9am local time, with another leaving an hour later.

The line carries new bullet-style trains at speeds of up to 220mph (350kph) and reduces the travel time from 22 hours to just eight hours.

There are 35 stops along the route in major cities spanning the length of the country including Shijiazhuang, capital of the northern Hebei Province; Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan; Wuhan, the capital of the central Hubei Province; and Changsha, in Hunan Province.