Shanghai and Hangzhou are now connected by an express rail service, further expanding China’s network of high-speed trains.
The 202km journey has been shortened to 45 minutes from 78 minutes. It begins at Shanghai Hongqiao Station and passes through nine stops before arriving at Hangzhou Station.
Since no central online booking engine exists, at press time, Business Traveller learned of ticket prices from local media reports. A one-way first-class ticket for the entire journey costs RMB131 (US$19.6) and a second-class ticket costs RMB82 (US$12). The most practical way to purchase tickets is to buy directly at the station or through travel agents.
China launched its first high-speed train in 2008, linking the capital city Beijing to Tianjin. Since then, a series of other intercity links have been rolled out: the Wuhan-Guangzhou line was unveiled in December last year, while this year the Zhengzhou-Xi’an line and the Shanghai-Nanjing line were unveiled in February and July respectively (see story here).
Currently, a high-speed link between China's most prominent hubs, Shanghai and Beijing, is under construction and is scheduled for a 2012 completion.
For more information, visit www.shrail.com but be warned, only the Chinese version is available.
Alisha Haridasani