On Dec. 26, 2009, China started operation of the world's fastest train ride- Wuhan-Guangzhou High-speed Railway. The highest speed reaches up to almost 200 miles per hour, and it takes as short as three hours to travel from Wuhan to Guangzhou, 601 miles away from each other. Traditional trains will take 10 hours to travel between the two cities, make one amazed about the modern technology and how far China has outdone itself. Now I just can't wait to get on a ride myself on my next trip to China. By then I may take the high speed train all the way to Yichun, my hometown, haha!
The train has three tier tickets: first class, economic (they call it second class, but I like economic class better), and deluxe. The train fare costs RMB 490 yuan (about $70) for economic class, 60% more for first class, and 80% more for deluxe class. With the price almost doubled for deluxe class, it makes me wonder what kind of service one can get in the deluxe car. I know that you can pay extra to get a sleeper (regular and deluxe) for traditional trains, but who in the world would be interested to get a sleeper for a three hour train ride? Maybe they have more comfy seats with recliner, serve refreshment and alcohol, just like they do on airplains.
The launch of this super train sure is going to hit the airline companies hard. Usually, people choose flying because it's faster. But with similar traveling time, and competitive price the super trains are offering, I think many people may switch back to the "old-school" transporation (equipped with modern technology though). Train rides are safer than plane rides, and people feel safer to travel on the ground than in the air. Plus, most airports are located at remote surburn areas and they are not always the most accessible and easy to get to. However, many train stations, at least the ones in China, are at downtown area and you can get there by bus, by taxi, or by foot within a short time. With all these advantages high-speed train brings to us, airline companies probably felt somewhat threatened, as evident by the fact that they are aggressively cutting the price of airfares. In the end, it is us consumers who will benefit from all this madness of competition.
I am ending this article with a kid's song "down by the station" that the high-speed rail reminded me of.
Down by the station early in the morning
See the little Puffer Bellies all in a row
See the engine driver pull the little handle
Chug, chug, toot, toot
Off they go
