METRO Line 19, the first subway route connecting Chongming Island to downtown Shanghai, will likely use a bullet train, Sun Zhang, an Institute of Rail Transit professor with Tongji University told Shanghai Daily yesterday.

He said trips between the island and downtown will take about 45 minutes. It usually takes about 90 minutes to drive to the island and buses often take more than two hours.

Transportation authorities and rail experts are still discussing plans for the new line, including the type of train and location of stations. Financial details were not disclosed and neither was a time frame for construction.