Now and then: China's high-speed rail revolution

Photo taken in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, Feb 8, 2014. [Photo by Chen Xiaodong/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Thirty-eight bullet trains are averaging 300 km/h to travel from the capital to the country's commercial and financial hub.

Leaving from Hangzhou, the Hangzhou–Shenzhen High Speed Line heads south and links the Yangtze River Delta and southeastern coastal areas with the Pearl River Delta, which are China's major economic powerhouses.

A line linking Xinjiang's Urumqi with Lanzhou in Gansu province opened up a fast track to prosperity for the country's vast underdeveloped northwest areas.

The effects of transport-induced clustering upon business productivity have been fully captured in China, said a new World Bank report.

Next: Bullet trains straight to Europe