A CRH (China Railway High-speed) bullet train travelling on the Beijing-Guangzhou High-speed Railway runs along the bridge over Yongding River in the suburb of Beijing, China, 26 December 2012. THE worlds longest high-speed rail line, which spans over half of China, began operating today, further cementing the countrys high-speed railway development ambitions. Two trains departed from stations in Beijing and Guangzhou at 9 am and 10 am, respectively, to mark the opening of the 2,298-kilometer line. Running at an average speed of 300 km per hour, the new route cuts the travel time between Beijing and the southern metropolis from more than 20 hours to around eight. A total of 155 pairs of trains will run on the new line each day, and alternative schedules have been made for weekends and peak travel times, according to the Ministry of Railways (MOR).(Imaginechina via AP Images)

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