I'm still excited about these new trains, and plan on going to SH much more often after June xx (launch date of HSR), even if the trip takes 6 hours instead of 4. In essence, in spite of my multiple elite cards that permit me to travel better than the masses, I'm tired of dealing with these surly Chinese airlines, and I'd be happy as a clam with a guaranteed 6 hours during which I can use the internet the entire time v. "maybe" 2 hours on an airplane. I'm betting that train fares will be set at y700 for the BJ-SH run, but wouldn't be surprised if they are a bit cheaper than that, in light of the enormous proposed capacity. I'm also hopeful that CA will give us some direct flights to more secondary markets as a result of the presuming drop off in demand for PEK-SHA (those planes need to fly somewhere!). In particular, I'd like to be able to fly to Hiroshima without stopping in Dalian and Kashgar without stopping in Urumuqi.... Maldives service would be appreciated as well.