2011-06-23 11:56

BEIJING - The Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway will open to traffic on July 1, the Ministry of Railways (MOR) announced on Thursday.

A ceremony will be held on June 30 to mark the opening of the railway, according to the MOR.

Tickets will go on sale later this week, Yangtze Evening Post reported on Thursday.

According to the report, the first trains from Nanjing South Station, Shanghai Hongqiao Station and Jinan Railway Station will head for Beijing at the same time as the first train from Beijing South Railway Station speeds its way to Shanghai.

Detailed information on high-speed tickets will also be released and online ticket sales will also be introduced on Beijing to Tianjin trains.

Passengers can log onto the China railway customer service website www.12306.cn to check and book train tickets after registering with an ID card.

Instead of queuing to buy a "paper" ticket, ID cards can be used to board trains.

The tickets for the journey between Beijing and Shanghai will range from 410 yuan to 1,750 yuan ($63 to $279) depending on the speed and seat category. Trains will travel between 250 to 300 km/h with the fastest time of four hours and 48 minutes for the 1,318-km line.