High-speed rail line begins service

China on Wednesday opened the world’s longest high-speed rail line, more than halving the time required to travel from Beijing in the north to Guangzhou, an economic hub in southern China. The opening of the 1,428 mile-line comes after high-profile problems for China’s high speed rail service, including the collapse of part of a line in central China after heavy rains in March, a summer 2011 crash that killed 40 people and a corruption scandal.