China's high-speed rail revolution

Photo taken in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, Feb 8, 2014. [Photo by Chen Xiaodong/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In the six years since China opened its first high-speed rail line, total mileage of the network has equaled the sum of the rest of the world.

By the end of last year, the country's system had grown to 15,000 km of dedicated track, connecting 28 of its 34 provincial regions.

China's railway builders have also taken their plans global - a line to Western Europe is planned as well as already exporting rail technology and bullet trains.

The scale of the project is massive, but critics worry about corruption, safety and the price tag.

Thirty-eight bullet trains are averaging 300 km/h to travel from the capital to the country's commercial and financial hub.

Leaving from Hangzhou, the Hangzhou–Shenzhen High Speed Line heads south and links the Yangtze River Delta and southeastern coastal areas with the Pearl River Delta, which are China's major economic powerhouses.

A line linking Xinjiang's Urumqi with Lanzhou in Gansu province opened up a fast track to prosperity for the country's vast underdeveloped northwest areas.

The effects of transport-induced clustering upon business productivity have been fully captured in China, said a new World Bank report.