Fangchenggang North Railway Station launched the first bullet train heading to Guangzhou South at 9:00 am on May 21.

With a ticket price of 254.5 yuan ($41) for a first-class seat and 212.5 yuan for second class, the whole journey lasts 5 hours and 34 minutes.

According to a staff member of the Fangchenggang North Railway Station, the tickets were sold out before departure. With the train number of D3704/1 and the total seats of 613, the bullet train passes through nine cities in between, which are Nanning, Binyang, Guigang, Guiping, Pingnan, Wuzhou, Nanjiangkou, Zhaoqing and Sanshui.

Ticket prices for the bullet train are not much higher than intercity bus. The higher safety and faster speed make the train popular among passengers.

The opening of the new train halved the travel time from Fangchenggang to Guangzhou and greatly facilitated communications between the two cities.

The first bullet train from Fangchenggang to Guangzhou is about to set out. [Photo by Lu Zhaozhao/fcgsnews.com]

By Feng Lu and edited by Andrew Ancheta