Chinese railway authorities say all is ready for the opening of a showcase high-speed railway between Beijing and Shanghai later this month.
The fastest travel time on the 1,318-kilometre (813 mile) line will be five hours, or about half the current time, and the longest to just under eight hours.
Trial operations for the new rail line began on May 11. Its formal inauguration coincides with the July 1st 90th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Communist Party.
The top operational speed for the line's trains was cut to 300 kmph (186 mph) from the originally planned 350 kmph (217 mph), after questions were raised about safety.
Overall, China aims to have 8,000 miles (13,000 km) of high-speed rail in place by the year's end and twice that length by 2020.
