Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway development in 10 years

A Fuxing bullet train is seen at Beijing South Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Wednesday marked the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway, one of China's busiest high-speed rail lines.

With a total length of 1,318 km and linking the capital with the eastern coastal economic hub of Shanghai, the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway is the world's longest high-speed line ever constructed in a single phase.

Following are some facts and figures about the railway development over the past 10 years.

-- The link has connected 24 cities including Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai. Among them, 11 cities have an urban population of over 1 million. These regions have more than one-fourth of the nation's total population.

-- A total of 1.35 billion passenger trips have been made safely on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway since it went into operation 10 years ago.

In 2019, the railway handled a record 210 million passenger trips, or 9.3 percent of China's high-speed railway traffic, with only 3.7 percent of the total high-speed railway network in operation.

-- Over the past decade, 666 trains plied on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway on the busiest day, while the highest daily passenger count reached around 798,000 trips.

-- In September 2017, China increased the maximum speed of bullet trains on the railway to 350 km per hour. The speed increase cut the Beijing-Shanghai journey to 4 hours and 28 minutes.

-- High-speed trains between Beijing and Shanghai had quiet carriages at the end of last year. The facility is aimed at providing a more tranquil and comfortable ambiance for travelers.

A flexible pricing mechanism was also initiated, offering preferential ticket prices for commuters and frequent travelers.

-- The railway has also stayed profitable since 2014. The net profit of Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway Co. Ltd. (BSHSR) surged at an annual average of 39.4 percent between 2014 and 2019. In 2020, the railway remained profitable despite the impact of COVID-19.

-- The BSHSR debuted on China's A-share market at the Shanghai Stock Exchange in January 2020. About 6.286 billion stocks have been issued, accounting for 12.8 percent of the company's total equity, according to its statement filed to the stock exchange.