How is 78 Euro for a first class ride (or 49 Euro for a 2nd class) for a high-speed train running 1000km overpriced for you? And please, don't come with the argument that many Chinese can't afford it. 490 RMB isn't that much of a sum for a growing middle class in China. And I wonder where you can find 56 RMB tickets for that ride... will that be in the luggage car?

The premium asked for this trully high-speed service seems very reasonable for me, I was expecting it to be higher. Don't forget, they built new tracks all the way along, new stations, new material (trains), they don't want to fight the current train system for those who can't afford the highspeed train, but rather offer an alternative to taking the aircraft for those with money. 1000km in 3 hours from city center to city center beats aircraft hands down. They price it around the same as airfares as they can do this. Why shouldn't they not? China isn't a Communist country anymore (well, it is by definition, but we all know what I mean) they're about making cash with this line. Not building a stupid prestige object.

I'm looking forward for Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway service. Imagine.. travelling from the North of China to the South, in less than a day.. and that will be finished in a few years!

Once petrol gets more expensive again (and that will happen!) the investions China is doing into its train network will pay off even more.