Longest High-Speed Railway to Compete With A380s in China

(Bloomberg) Travelers in China will soon have the choice of traveling on the world’s longest high-speed train line or flying on an Airbus SAS A380 superjumbo when going from Beijing to Guangzhou.

A 2,298-kilometer (1,428 mile) line linking the nation’s capital and the southern city will open Dec. 26, according to a statement by the Ministry of Railways today, whisking passengers between the two in as few as eight hours. The trains will initially run at a speed of 300 kilometers per hour.

The new line adds to competition for China Southern Airlines Co. (1055) A380s flying between the cities, an about three- hour flight. The carrier has already lost money on domestic A380 services in the first half, according to Citigroup Inc. The planes have been used on the route for about a year as the airline has so far failed to fly them on overseas services from Beijing.

The bullet-train line, which will eventually connect to Hong Kong, is part of China’s plans to build a 16,000-kilometer long network by 2015. The services have lured passengers from flights that often suffer delays in China because of airspace restrictions and poor weather. ...............(more)

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