Summary：There's been stops and there has been starts but it appears China's much heralded US$200 billion (150 billion euro) high-speed train network will be charging ahead during 2012 -- and beyond.

There's been stops and there has been starts but it appears China's much heralded US$200 billion (150 billion euro) high-speed train network will be charging ahead during 2012 -- and beyond.

The country's Ministry of Railways is now saying 3,500 kilometers of rail line will be opened up for use this year, making the entire service stretch past 10,000km.

This will mean that all of China's planned North-South routes will come into operation, slashing travelling time between some of the country's most popular cities while also offering a cheap transport alternative to locals and to the growing number of tourists who are visiting China each year.

The first of those routes -- connecting Beijing and Shanghai -- opened last June and it will be followed this year by Beijing-Guangzhou (southern route), Beijing-Harbin (northeast) and a route that will connect the coastal centres south of Shanghai.