Construction of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway, which will cut traveling time between two cities from 12 hours to four, will be completed by the end of next year.

It will open in 2012 and will be the most profitable railway in the world, the Ministry of Railways said yesterday, National Business Daily reported today.

Officials with the ministry said yesterday that high-speed railways are always profitable, based on the experience of some other countries.

The project is the largest investment under the "Medium and Long-Term Railway Network Plan."

The report said trans will travel up to 350 kilometers per hour and the route will include stops in Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu.

As part of a trial line of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway, the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Rail was put into service on August 1, 2008.

The Beijing-Tianjin line runs at an average of 70 percent of its capacity, according to the report.

It is expected the cost of the intercity rail will be recovered after 16 years.

(Shanghai Daily July 29, 2009)