China has decided to lower the operating speed for its bullet trains due to safety concerns amid an overhaul of the high-speed rail system.

According to the Ministry of Railways, during the initial stages, trains with a top design speed of 350 kilometers per hour will be lowered to 300 km/h, and the trains designed to run up to 250 km/h will operate at 200 km/h. Railways with speeds previously raised to 200 km/h will be scaled down to 160 km/h. Ticket prices will also be reduced.

A mother carries her son to catch the high-speed train at a railway station in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, April 14, 2011. [Photo / Xinhua]