China to test new "bullet train" next month

BEIJING, Jan 16 (Reuters) China will test a new ''bullet train'' next month which could nearly halve the travel time on the key Beijing-Shanghai route, the official Xinhua news agency said today.

The train has a top speed of 250 kph, which would cut the journey time from nine hours to five, the report said.

Flying takes just under two hours.

Xinhua did not say when the new train could be put into full-time service.

The trial operations will take place during the Lunar New Year holiday -- the busiest time of year for travel in China. The country's railway system is expected to carry more than 150 million people over the period.

China is ramping up investment in railways, ports, roads and airports to remove transport bottlenecks that could slow its economic expansion.

The capital Beijing is investing some 40 billion dollars in Olympics-related infrastructure projects to prepare for the 2008 Games.

REUTERS BDP BD1055