Not-So-High-Speed Train: Is It Worth It?

Lauren McCarthy | Jun 16, 2011 2:00 pm | 3 comments | 2872 reads

The Beijing-Shanghai high-speed train will finally leave the station July 1. The train speed has been slowed from original estimates, and the prices released, so when it comes to a weekend jaunt to Shanghai, we're wondering if this is really the way to go. Now that we’ve seen Shanghai's dismal happiness ranking, we’d rather stay here in Beijing.

The anticipated new train, originally projected to reach 380km/hr, will now travel at slightly slower speeds of 300khm/hr and 250km/hr. Add in some stops and a few of the high-speed trains will take eight hours to reach Shanghai, shaving a mere two hours off the current travel time.

Here’s a full breakdown of your Beijing-Shanghai travel options:

In related news, the Tianjin-Beijing high-speed rail is now offering online ticket sales, with passports as an accepted form of ID. Online ticketing is expected to go into effect for the Beijing-Shanghai line soon.

If the new high-speed line proves to beat out the hassles of air travel, look forward to high-speed trains that will eventually connect China with Singapore.

Photo: Global Times

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charliedontsurf's picture charliedontsurf Submitted by Guest on Fri, 06/17/2011 - 14:32

I think people have made a lot of good points but they still fall short of looking at the long-term picture. Sure the price difference isn't big right now, but the cost of airline fuel is going to rise at a much faster rate than electricity, which might actually become less expensive as China develops better grid technology and alternative power.

Also, if the ridership is too low, the government will reduce the price of the ticket to attract people to ride. Even worse than losing money is losing face over having built something that no one uses.

The competition between the airline and the train will benefit users of both because it will lead to a price war.

And once they recoup their expenses I think they are liable to start hiking the speed back up.

nobyarb's picture nobyarb Submitted by Guest on Thu, 06/16/2011 - 16:22

Well, I'm looking forward to using it instead of the plane or overnight train- though the original 4 hour journey would have been nicer.

The price table above does not include the tax/airport fee for domestic flights which is currently CNY190 per ticket. Even then it's hard to get a seat at CNY570 unless you book far in advance and can depart very early/late and/or from Nanyuan Airport. Most tickets these days cost at least CNY900 + when buying for the following week.

Hopefully the trains will be comfortable enough for a basic working/reading environment to help pass the time. CNY550 is also cheaper than a bed on the overnighters. I've tried a seat on those and believe me you don't want to do it....! 5 hours is doable for me, though.

MoreRichInHope's picture MoreRichInHope Submitted by Guest on Thu, 06/16/2011 - 15:24

Surely the most important thing is what times the trains run. I've never really seen the point of a 5-hour train to Shanghai. The beauty of the current set-up is that you can leave Beijing in the evening after a full day and arrive ready to go first thing the next day. If you're someone who's able to sleep on the train, then it really is more convenient than taking a plane either late at night or early morning. However a 5-hour journey is too short to be done by night (midnight - 5am offers no real advantage over the current 10pm-6am train), and if time is really of the essence then flying is going to be better than, e.g. a 9am - 2pm train journey. Seems that this very expensive and cool-sounding enterprise doesn't actually offer all that much after all...

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