The construction of a high speed railway linking Beijing and Shanghai has entered a new phase: tracks are being laid 27 months after work began in April 2008. The 1318 km-line, one of the longest in the world, will span three municipalities and pass through four provinces. Equipped with the latest technology, the railway is expected to have a maximum operating speed of 380 km/hr. The track will be completed by the end of the year and open to revenue service by 2012. Once completed, the line will cut the travel time from Beijing to Shanghai from 10 hours to 4. The current capacity of the line is expected to double, reaching 160 million passengers per year.