CHINA> National
Beijing-Tianjin railway starts ticket sales for Friday debut
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-01 00:02

A train attendant stands next to the Chinese-made high-speed CRH3 train, July 18, 2008. [Xinhua]

The railway, on which construction started in July 2005, was built at a total cost of 21.5 billion yuan (US$3.1 billion), said Wang.

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About 100 km of the line, or 86 percent, was built on an elevated alignment because of the area's alluvial soil, which was sensitive to ground settlement.

The new service would cut the 120-km journey from the current 70 minutes to about 30 minutes, according to Wang. There are five stations along the line: the cavernous new Beijing South Railway Station, Yizhuang, Yongle, Wuqing and Tianjin.

The train is classifed by the MOR as C-category, with C standing for Chengji, meaning intercity.

There will be 10 trains of eight cars that can seat about 600 passengers. These sleek trains, with aircraft-like cabins, swivel seats, spacious interiors and rooftop solar panels, were built by the Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock Company.

Called the CRH-3 (China Railway High-speed), these were China's first self-designed and self-manufactured passenger trains.

The MOR had said about 26 million passengers traveled between the two cities every year, and this new line was forecast to raise the figure to 32 million in 2008.