On April 18, China will see the sixth increase in train speeds, marking a major step in China's age of high-speed railway transportation, according to the Ministry of Railways.

The authorities said trains will run at speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour on the Beijing-Harbin, Beijing-Shanghai and Beijing-Guangzhou lines. In some sections the speed can be raised to 250 kilometers per hour, the international railway upper speed limit.

Of course, higher speed transportation brings greater efficiency. This speed increase will certainly have many positive influences on economic growth as well as other aspects of society.

However, people are also worried about several issues arising with the increase in speed.

As stressed by the railway department, the trains from major cities, like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenyang, will be the ones getting the greatest boost in speeds.

Based on experience from previous speed boosts, the mid- and small-sized cities close to the big cities will not benefit as much. The high-speed trains will not stop in smaller stations.

It is also a major concern of the public that the low-priced trains may see a slow-down in speed when the high-speed trains increase in number.

Because of the limited capacity of the tracks, it is only natural for the railway department to slow the common trains, which are also low-priced, to ensure the punctuality of the high-speed trains.

Another common concern is the train ticket price. Although officials have promised to maintain the current ticket prices after the speed boost, people worry that the low-priced seats will be decreased on the high-speed trains.

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