Originally Posted by
anacapamalibu
I would speculate 95% of the population could not afford to travel on the new train. Middle class in China?
Shanghai Maglev - Stupid Prestige Object
Tianjin High Speed Rail - Olympic Prestige Object
This new line is just another white elephant that will never see any financial profit and the sole purpose is prestige propaganda.
Several Chinese friends, not just middle class but fairly wealthy, prefer to use trains for their business travel even today. For example the Shanghai - Beijing night trains on the existing "slow" tracks.
I would imagine the new service will be filled to the brim with sales reps and other business travellers. China is like Russia, a country where people love their trains and train travel.
The Tianjin track and similar new projects in the Shanghai region are changing urban landscapes by making everyday commuting faster and simpler than before. Especially in the Yangtze delta I'd expect a huge number of Shanghai residents will be looking to relocate to either Suzhou or Wuxi once the new connections are there.