Beijing-Shanghai high-speed line shifts into profit

A surge in passenger traffic drove the high-speed rail route from Beijing to Shanghai into the black for the first time in 2014, its third year of operation, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday.

"High-speed rail is good for the nation and can offer convenience to the public, but it is not a profitable business," Cai Qinghua, former chairman of the Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Railway Corp, told the agency.

But the Beijing-Shanghai route shattered that rule, proving that high-speed services are not just a way to waste money, experts said.