Beijing-Shanghai Bullet Train Starts June 30：Tickets on Sal

The world’s longest high-speed railway, the Beijing-Shanghai bullet train will begin operations on June 30^th; the first trains will leave both cities at 3:00pm that day. The train will halve the time needed to travel on land between China’s two most important cities.

The link, which has been operating on a trial basis since mid-May, "has passed safety assessment and currently is fully qualified for the launch of service", the railways ministry said in a statement released late Thursday.

The railway is a length of 1,318 kilometers (819 miles) and will operate at a maximum speed of 300 kilometers-per-hour (185 mph). This changes the original plan of having the railway run at 350 kph. The Railways Ministry specifies that this will keep trains more efficient, and that the speed reduction is not based on safety considerations.

90 services a day each way will be run, 54 percent of these will travel at speeds up to 300kph. There are cheaper 250kph service trains, which will stop at more stations and will take just over eight hours.

Officials from the Railway Ministry also said they have signed an agreement with China Eastern Airlines to integrate plane and train services. Initially, this will allow passengers booking airline tickets to and from Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, and Hong Kong, to also train tickets between Shanghai and cities in the Yangtze Delta Region. 

Passengers will be able to buy tickets in advance, at prices ranging from 410 yuan to 1,750 yuan. This will be the first paperless boarding in Shanghai, meaning that Chinese travelers with valid IDs need to only scan their ID cards to get on the train. According to officials, however, this paperless service will not be available to foreigners. Visitors will still need paper tickets before boarding. Luckily, standing in line for a ticket will not be necessary as you will be able to purchase tickets from the national railway service’s website, www.12306.cn, with your passport. After purchasing from the website you will obtain a voucher number, which you can take to designated ticket booths at the city’s three railway stations or visit other outlets throughout the city to pick up the paper tickets.

One-way ticket prices will range between 410 yuan and 1,750 yuan subject to further adjustments compared with about 1,300 yuan for a flight.