Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway to hit 350 km/h

According to sources with the China Railway Corporation, the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail-link will be upgraded in October, 2017, increasing speeds to 350 kilometers per hour, reports caixin.com.

Caixin.com is reporting the CRC has yet to confirm the upgrade.

A high-speed train departs from Beijing South Railway Station to Shanghai. [Photo: VCG]

If confirmed, travel between Beijing and Shanghai on the G1 train would be cut to 4 hours. Updates to slower trains are also reportedly being prepared, which will cut times between the two cities down to 5 hours, shortening travel by some 50 minutes.

Most high-speed trains in China have been limited to 300 kilometers per hour except for those traveling between Beijing and Tianjin as of July, 2011.

A high-speed train accident on July 23, 2011 left 40 people dead. Subsequent investigations have determined speed was not a factor in the accident. However, authorities decided to cut speeds in August of that year for all high-speed trains, and have left the maximum at the same level since then.

While most have presumed safety is the main concern, He Huawu, chief engineer of the China Railway Corporation, has been on record saying the 300 kilometer per hour limit is not necessarily a mechanical concern. "There wouldn't be any technical or safety problems if the speeds were raised to 350 kilometers. However, the total costs would increase," he said.