China's Ministry of Railways said the construction of a high-speed railway linking Beijing and Shanghai kicked off on Friday.

Trains on the express railway will reach speeds exceeding 350 kilometers per hour, shortening the nine-hour trip to five hours.

The 1,318-kilometer high-speed railway between Beijing's southern train station and Shanghai's Hongqiao Railway Station will be the longest high-speed railway in the world with the highest Chinese government investment since 1949.

(CRIENGLISH.com April 18, 2008)