China: High Speed Rail Network To Be Doubled China builds 6,000 miles of track in the time the UK only debates the merits of constructing 100 miles of high speed rail line. China has announced it will spend £60bn this year in an effort to almost double the size of its high speed rail network. The investment forms part of a project which represents the largest and fastest rail expansion programme in the world. Since 2008, and in the time Britain has taken only to debate the merits of one line - HS2 - which would be just over 100 miles long, China has built 6,000 miles of track, much of it elevated, and invested in 1,000 high speed trains. The network is currently almost double the combined length of Europe and Japan's railway networks. The programme, the government says, forms a key part of the country's drive to modernise, urbanise and pull the Chinese people out of poverty. Sky News took a ride on the 10am from Shanghai to Beijing. Bang on time, the shiny new bullet train pulled out of the city's Hongqiao station. The train, 16 carriages long, has three classes: standard, first and business, which resembles the interior of an aeroplane. China high speed trains China has built 6,000 miles of track since 2008 Sitting in a fully reclining airline-style seat is businessman Paul Zhou. He said: "Our country is building an entire high speed rail system and it has made our travel easier. "It has shortened the journey between cities. It helps a lot on our work and life. "On the airlines, there are always delays. They are very unreliable. "I used to travel by plane, but now I almost always use our high speed trains to go everywhere. They are comfortable, environmentally friendly, and always on time." Out of the window the Chinese countryside is a blur as the train reaches its cruising speed of 190mph. China now boasts the world's fastest train. The CRH380A, manufactured by the Qingdao Sifang Company, has a top speed of 237mph but in test runs it reached 302mph. The trains run on a network of new lines, many of which are elevated. Together they knit together more than 100 cities across the country. China high speed trains The country has the world's fastest train with a top speed of 237mph Each of the cities has a vast new station. Most look more like airport terminals and they are packed: proof that this railway revolution has got China moving. Another passenger, Zhao Changhua, is an office worker from the city of Jinan. She has just started commuting to Shanghai for work; a distance of 535 miles but a journey time of just four hours. She told Sky News: "It's very comfortable. It's convenient and fast. I'm very proud of it. "It's the result of the fast development of our country's technology. It has given great benefits to our lives. "This is my second time on a high-speed train, I think it's much easier than taking a plane. "Airports are far away from the city centre whilst train stations are closer. So I choose high speed trains." The journey from Shanghai, west, then north, to Beijing is 800 miles - the length of the UK. It is completed in four hours, 48 minutes. In second class, it costs the equivalent of £55, in first it is just under £100 and in business it costs £175. Outside we see glimpses of rural China carved up by the new lines, but we also spot new cities springing up. It is evidence that the new rail network is stimulating the local economy at every stop.

• published: 14 Jan 2014
• views: 1