From the Readers

What's the buzz

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-06-20 08:04

The Ministry of Railways announced the speed-based prices of tickets for the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway. The prices range from 410 yuan, to 1,750 yuan. But 1,750 yuan is higher than what a ticket would cost to fly from Beijing to Shanghai. What do you think of the prices? Would you rather travel by high-speed trains or by air? China Daily's mobile news readers share their views.

I would opt for high-speed trains, because flights have the following disadvantages: frequent delays because of reasons such as weather, airports are farther away from downtown areas of cities and towns, limited weight for luggage, ban on carrying liquids, even an air ticket with discount is higher than second-class tickets for high-speed trains, long queues at check-in counters, long wait for security checks and luggage reclaim, ban on mobile phones, much smaller seats, and no scenery to enjoy outside the window. As long as I can buy a second-class ticket on a high-speed train, I would travel to Beijing by train.

Hengkongchushi, Shanghai

To choose between flights and high-speed trains we need to consider three factors. First is economic capacity. It depends on a person's pocket what he/she would choose. Second is cost of time and opportunity. For people who have to maintain constant contact with others over mobile phones or laptops, high-speed trains would be the obvious choice. But those in a rush to reach another city would choose a plane to travel longer distances. Third is attitude toward inflation. The price and speed of trains both have been rising because inflation has been high for some time now, so many people would choose the cheaper way to travel.

Shangshangjia, Beijing

I would prefer high-speed trains for reasons of personal safety. Trains are a safer way to travel, regardless of their speed. Besides, unlike flights, high-speed trains are not that sensitive to weather. Perhaps a high-speed train may use excessive land resources, but an invention or progress cannot be repudiated because of its disadvantages or be overly developed for its advantages. What high-speed trains need is moderation.

Yangchunbaixue, Harbin, Heilongjiang province

The prices of many tickets for the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed train cost more than even air tickets. It's really unnecessary to cancel normal trains just to cater to high-speed train development. Moreover, the high-speed railway has not been well planned. Sometimes, ordinary trains need to stop for half an hour to give way to high-speed trains, which causes inconvenience to and is unfair on ordinary passengers.

Annie, Beijing

People are engaged in a long debate over ticket prices of high-speed trains. To truly serve the people, the Ministry of Railways should allocate resources more reasonably and make prices affordable for all the people, rather than force passengers to choose high-speed trains. We should have different categories of trains, depending on the speed that they run at, to meet the demands of different income groups.

Train Fan, Xi'an, Shaanxi province

Speed and convenience are indeed advantages that high-speed trains enjoy. But the prices of high-speed train tickets are irrationally high. Some migrant workers said during interviews on TV programs that they were short of money not time. That should be a lesson. Not everyone can afford the expensive tickets of high-speed trains. What's more, high-speed trains can't travel faster than planes. So we should keep the ordinary trains running.

Xiao Guo, Shanghai

(China Daily 06/20/2011 page9)