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Tomorrow, China will officially mark the beginning of its high-speed rail era when the Chinese Railways launches service on the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway, an auxiliary project for the Beijing Olympic Games.

The 75-mile line will serve four stations. Trains will operate at speeds up to 217 mph and run between the two cities in less than 30 minutes.

During the next three to five yeas, the Chinese Railways plans to complete construction on a number of other high-speed lines. The railway's more than 6,000-mile high-speed network is scheduled to be completed within 15 years.