Beijing-Guangzhou in 8 hours by train

The Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway will open at the end of 2012, slashing the travel time from 20 hours to eight for the 2,294-kilometer journey, the Ministry of Railways said.

Xie Xiaowen, media officer from the Ministry of Railways, said that the construction of the high-speed line from Beijing to Zhengzhou, Henan Province, is finished.

"The railway is waiting for checks and test operations before going into official operation, expected to be at the end of December," said Xie.

Sun Zhang, an expert in rail transportation at Tongji University in Shanghai, said trains will run at a top speed of 300 kilometers per hour.

"The price will be set according to the distance. However, the State Council on November 9 stipulated that the insurance fee, accounting for 2 percent of the ticket price, will be abolished next year, so it won't be included in tickets now," said Sun.

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