Like a main artery, the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway connects the heart of China with its vital areas.

The 1,318-kilometer link, starting from Beijing and ending at Shanghai, chains together the country’ s prosperous Pan-Bohai and Yangtze River Delta economic zones, speeding up the movement of people, goods, information and capital.

Half a century ago, it would normally take two days for a single-way trip between the Chinese capital in the north and the eastern metropolis of Shanghai.

But with a sustaining speed of 300 kph, the Electric Multiple Units, independently developed and manufactured by Chinese locomotive giants of CSR and CNR, are flying like a bullet, making it possible to make a return trip within a single day between the two cities. “The Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway is a national pride,” said He Huawu, chief engineer of the Ministry of Railways, who briefed nearly 300 foreign and Chinese reporters ON Monday in Beijing before they were invited by the country’s bullet train builders to experience a “flight” in a test run of the modern link.

Despite the fast speed, the environment inside the train is quiet with only scant background sound, and the train maintains a stable run. Glasses of water on the seat-back tables are almost motionless.

Passengers can use their laptops or other digital devices without worrying that the batteries will run out. The space between the seats is wide enough for comfort.

Headphones are even provided for passengers on first-class seats to watch TV programmes or listen to other channels.