From London to Beijing by train... in just TWO days

Taking up more than a week of your life, the train journey from London to Beijing is not one most people would currently consider.

But fast forward a few years and you could find yourself stepping off in the Chinese capital in a mere two days.

The prospect of the incredible journey came closer to reality yesterday with China's ambitious plans to build a high-speed rail network to Europe.

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Under the scheme, British passengers would be able to depart from King's Cross in London and, using the Channel Tunnel, join a service to the Chinese capital.

Rail expert Wang Mengshu, from China's Academy of Engineering, said: 'We are aiming for the trains to run at 215mph.'

That means the 5,070-mile trip from London to Beijing - which currently takes a week or more and several changes of service - could be completed in 48 hours.

Life on the slower, glamorous Orient Express

The new service will not be arriving in Britain just yet, but the Chinese are hopeful it could be here within ten to 15 years.

China already has its own high-speed railway network, and is negotiating to extend this to up to 17 countries.

Mr Wang said most of the countries already at the negotiating table are in south-east and central Asia. The talks involve a trade of resources for technology. Many of the countries are under-developed but mineral rich.

China has proposed three highspeed railway projects, although the specific routes have yet to be decided.

The first would potentially connect Kunming in southern China, with Singapore via Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. Another could start in Urumqi in northern China and go through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and possibly end in India.

The third would start in China's north-east and go north through Russia and then into Western Europe.

Though the project may have a bumpy ride with security issues such as illegal migration, smuggling and visas, the ambitions of the world's most populous country are rarely derailed.

China is spending £480billion on domestic railway expansion, aiming to build nearly 19,000 miles of railway in the next five years.

And it boasts the world's fastest train, the 250mph Harmony Express, which speeds 660 miles between the cities of Wuhan and Guangzhou in three hours.