By Deng Yaqing and Elvis Anber

When Zhang Xi， the operator running the G801 high-speed train， gestured to signal the vehicles departure from Beijing at precisely 9 a.m. on December 26， the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed train formally began its long-awaited inaugural journey.

The high-speed rail line is the worlds longest. It runs from Beijing down to the southern metropolis of Guangzhou， capital of Guangdong Province， stretching 2，298 km.

Its trains run at 300 km/h， although they can reach speeds of up to 350 km/h. The line cuts travel time between two of Chinas largest cities to eight hours for its passengers， down from the usual 20-hour train ride.

The Beijing-Guangzhou line runs through several provincial capitals in Chinas interior. These stops are part of the central government efforts to develop Chinas western and central regions.

At a time when other nations are burying plans for highspeed rail development in feasibility reports， or too timid to invest the funds needed to lay down track， China continues to show the world its commitment to building an expansive high-speed rail network.

Despite setbacks in its development of high-speed rail， China has shown renewed vigor over the past 18 months， and has continued to expand its transportation network.

Economic benefits

The Beijing-Guangzhou line is the latest achievement of the Chinese Governments Medium and Long-Term Railway Network Plan， which aims to establish a network of four north-south lines and another four east-west routes across the country.

“In Chinas high-speed rail network， the BeijingGuangzhou railway is an important north-south line，” said Chen Yabing， chief engineer of the Beijing-Zhengzhou High-Speed Rail Project.

“Starting in Beijing， it spans across several major economic zones in north， central and south-central China， and the Pearl River Delta. By linking major， densely-populated cities like Beijing， Wuhan and Guangzhou， it will give a great boost to the economic development of regions along the line，” said Chen.

The Beijing-Zhengzhou section is particularly significant to the development of the recently-established Central Plains Economic Zone， which encompasses Henan， parts of Shandong， Anhui， Hebei and Shanxi provinces， where it is expected to play a key role as a major transport hub.

Including a future track from Zhengzhou in Henan to Xuzhou in Jiangsu Province， and the already operating line from Zhengzhou to Xian， capital of Shaanxi Province， “the high-speed rail framework of the Central Plains Economic Zone has taken shape，” said Zhou Li， Director of the Science and Technology Department at the Ministry of Railways， during a test run of the Beijing-Zhengzhou stretch on December 21.

Currently， less than 5 percent of fast-freight goods are transported by rail. But， some estimates predict that the line will increase the freight capacity between Beijing and Wuhan （Hubei） by around 20 million tons per year.

Tourism is also likely to receive a boost from the BeijingGuangzhou line. Representatives from seven provinces and 31 cities recently worked to promote tourism in the regions along the line， with the aim of consolidating travel routes and building up a leisure tourism belt.

But the Beijing-Guangzhou line has triggered panic in the airline industry. Despite efforts to attract passengers by offering discounts on short flights， some airline companies are considering eliminating flights that compete with established high-speed lines. According to a report by the Nanfang Daily， some airlines have lowered the cost of a one-way ticket from Wuhan to Beijing to under 200 yuan（$32）， less than a fifth of earlier prices.

Given the tedious and time-consuming routine required of air travelers - traveling to airports far from city centers， checking in， security checks， boarding and runway delays - the airline industry may suffer if more passengers begin using high-speed rail， especially for shorter trips.

To cope with unique geographical conditions along the Beijing-Guangzhou route， various solutions have been found to address concerns such as subgrade construction on soft soil. Significant gains have also been made in the construction of high-speed rails. Tracks on the newly opened Harbin-Dalian high-speed railway were built to cope with the regions frigid winter temperatures. Snow melting and anti-freeze properties are built into the roadbed and power substations.

Controversies remain

Guangdong， Chinas manufacturing powerhouse， is a major hub during Chinas Spring Festival， when the greatest migration of people in the world takes place. According to statistics from the Department of Human Resources and Social Security of Guangdong Province， Guangdong was home to 26 million migrant workers in the past two years. During Spring Festival in 2012， Guangzhou saw over 28 million departures.

Many believe that the new Beijing-Guangzhou line will lure passengers away from slower lines along the route， which already overflow with passengers returning home for the festival.

But some say that ticket prices are too high. Tickets for the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway range from 865 yuan （$139） for a seat in second-class to 2，727 yuan（$437） for one in business class.

Some netizens have called for the Ministry of Railways to publish the operating costs of the Beijing-Guangzhou line to explain the ticket prices.

“Reasonable prices can be established by taking passenger flow and future income levels into account，” says Xu Fengxian， a research fellow with the Institute of Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “Right now， common people cannot afford such prices.”

Tian Fengshao， a research fellow at the Institute of Sociology at Henan University， argued that though ticket prices may be steep during the upcoming Spring Festival， travel by high-speed rail should gradually morph into a common means of passenger travel rather than an indicator of social status.

Safety concerns present another issue for potential passengers who remember the 2011 crash that occurred near Wenzhou， Zhejiang Province. A bullet train rammed into another train stranded on the track， killing 40 people.

An investigation by authorities established that the crash was caused by design flaws， poor management and a mishandling of equipment struck by lightning.

But Zhao said that the Beijing-Guangzhou line will run slower than its maximum speed to ease fears.

“Safety is our top priority，” he said.

At 5 p.m. on December 26， the first high-speed train arrived perfectly on time in Guangzhou. The successful launch of the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway will help the country regain its confidence in the development of its high-speed network. Nonetheless， much must be done for Chinas high-speed railways to guarantee safety and win passengers confidence.