By IANS,
Shanghai : Bullet trains, which were expected to speed between Shanghai and Beijing at 350 km an hour, will now run at a slower speed of 300 km per hour, authorities have decided.
The high-speed 1,318-km journey is expected to take five hours when the service starts in June. The previous estimate was four hours of running time, the Shanghai Daily reported Thursday.
The railway ministry has cut the top speed on the route to 300 km per hour.
Trains on the Shanghai-Beijing route would have two top speeds – 300 km per hour and 250 km per hour – with cheaper fares expected for the slower train.
The media report said there had been safety concern over the high speed though the trains broke world speed records during testing period.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Sun Zhang, a professor and a rail expert, was quoted as saying.
Sun said that the 300 km per hour speed would be “ideal”.
Railway Minister Sheng Guangzu has said the slower speed “will offer more safety”.