Beijing - Shanghai high speed railway
The newly opened "Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway" is a 1,318 km long high-speed railway that connects two major economic zones in the People's Republic of China: the Bohai Economic Rim and the Yangtze River Delta. Construction began in April 2008 and involves the newest and most advanced railway technologies. nkt cables has been heavily involved in this project, supplying contact wires, messenger wires, connectors, accessories as well as approx. 254 km 27.5kV cable. This rail line is the world's longest high-speed line ever constructed in a single phase.
Under the former Minister of Railways, Liu Zhijun, the railway line was the first in the world designed for 380 km/h commercial running. The non-stop train from Beijing South to Shanghai Hongqiao was expected to finish the 1,305 km journey in 3 hours, 58 minutes, averaging 329 km/h, making it the fastest scheduled train in the world, compared to 9 hours, 49 minutes by the fastest trains running on the parallel old railway. However, in the wake of his dismissal in February 2011, it was announced that the railway would be slowed down to 300 km/h for the sake of safety concerns. At this speed, it would take 4 hours, 48 minutes for the journey, with one stop in Nanjing South, cutting the single-way time between the two cities from ten to under five hours.
There will be dozens of trains each day running between Beijing South and Shanghai Hongqiao from 7 am to until 6 pm. Sleeper bullet trains on the upgraded railway will be cancelled. The opening of the line will also allow up to 50 million extra tons of freight to be transported on the old line between Beijing and Shanghai.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (R, Front) attendended the launching ceremony of "Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway" in Beijing, capital of China, on June 30, 2011, and was on board the trains first trip. During the brief launch ceremony, Premier Wen Jiabao spoke highly of the construction staff who completed the link in only 38 months. He also stressed the significance of the new link; "China's railway has undergone massive development in recent years. Our aim is to build a modern transportation system, which is safe, convenient, efficient and green. We shall stick to scientific planning, optimize transportation resources and boost overall efficiency. And we should always putt quality first".