Sheng said that there will be two types of tickets for the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway. “One is for non-stop trains between Beijing and Shanghai. The other is for trains that will stop at different stations or sections, whose ticket price will surely be lower than plane tickets,” Sheng said.

As for the non-stop fares between Beijing and Shanghai, Sheng said that it will be slightly lower than that of taking a flight. He said, “The fare should be calculated by enterprises in accordance with railway construction and operating costs.” They will first set the fares according to pricing regulations and then submit the plan to the authorities for approval.

He added that the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway will raise both passenger and freight handling capacity between Beijing and Shanghai.

Sheng said during this year’s “Two Sessions” that China’s high-speed railway lines will continue to expand under the national medium and long-term railway network adjustment plan and he is fully confident in China’s high-speed railway network development prospect.

The Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway began construction on April 18, 2008 and will run between Beijing South Railway Station and Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station.

The 1,318-kilometer track involved total investments of 221 billion yuan.

The railway is scheduled to begin operation in June 2011 after the track laying was completed on Nov. 15, 2010. It will shorten the travel time between Beijing and Shanghai to just over four hours.