Beijing-Bound? Let The Train Take The Strain

Fancy a trip to the Middle Kingdom? Forget about the plane, you late-20th century carbon-chomping criminal, you: the train could soon be the finest way to take the trip. China is planning to build a cross-continental rail network linking London with destinations across Asia, including Beijing, Singapore, and points across the Indian subcontinent. Trains would nip along the route at up to 200mph, delivering passengers from King's Cross to central Beijing in just two days. According to Wang Mengshu, of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, prospecting and surveying work is complete, and China now intends to begin negotiations with the countries the line would pass through — many of which, he notes, are eager for the economic and trade advantages it would bring.