As a result of this tragedy, which left 40 people dead and hundreds injured, the Ministry of Railways imposed a speed limit of 300km/h on existing lines, while China CNR recalled, for reasons of safety, the speed of its trains. "technical problems54 high-speed trains on the new Beijing-Shanghai line. Covering the 1,320km between the Chinese capital and the country's economic capital in 4 hours 49 minutes, the line was inaugurated with great fanfare at the end of June, a year ahead of schedule. However, prohibitive fares, incessant delays and interminable breakdowns quickly drew criticism from the public and weighed on passenger numbers.
In order to reassure passengers about the safety of the current 8,000 km network, the Beijing government has ordered an inspection of all services. Until the recent disaster, China had high ambitions, aiming to have 16,000 km of expressways by 2020. The country was also hoping to use the network as a technological showcase and compete internationally with manufacturers such as France's Alstom.
