Rumours have been circulating that a high-speed railway between Guangzhou and Shanghai, which would carry passengers between the two cities in only seven hours, will open this July. In light of the various other high-speed networks rapidly opening around the country, this one seemed plausible. But the rumor has been shot down, according to Beijing’s venerable English-language daily the Global Times:

A Guangzhou Railway (Group) Corporation staff member denied the story Sunday.

“The tracks are under construction for a high-speed train from Guangzhou to Shanghai and the time of completion is not yet known,” Sun Zhang, a transport professor with Tongji University, told the Global Times Sunday.

The rumour indicated ticket prices on the line would be RMB 800 per person each way, which makes it about 2/3 the price of an air ticket (not including exorbitant flight ticket taxes).

In the meantime, people in Guangzhou will have to make do with the recently-opened high-speed railway to Zhuhai.