Three high-speed rail routes see ticket prices adjusted

The ticket prices for high-speed trains in southeastern China underwent a large-scale adjustment on Friday, domestic media reported.

The high-speed rail network in this part of China mainly consists of three sections: from Shanghai to Hangzhou, capital of East China’s Zhejiang Province; from Hangzhou to Ningbo, also in Zhejiang; and from Ningbo to Shenzhen, South China’s Guangdong Province, chinanews. com reported on Friday.

The price adjustment only applies to certain high-speed trains with top speeds between 200 and 250 kilometers per hour. Trains with top speeds of close to 300 kilometers per hour see their ticket prices remain unchanged.

According to media reports, different lines will see different adjustments. First-class seats in trains from Shanghai to Hangzhou have increased in price by 51 percent, while second-class seat prices have increased by 14.3 percent.

High-speed trains from Hangzhou to Ningbo meanwhile saw the price of their first-class seats and second-class seats increase by 13.7 percent and 12.5 percent, respectively.

The cost of first-class seats on trains between Ningbo and Shenzhen has gone up by over 50 percent on average, while the price of secondclass seats has grown by nearly 20 percent.

Han Jinbao, a Shanghai resident who has relatives in Ningbo, told the Global Times on Friday that the adjustments are understandable “as long as the price hike is not too much.”

The adjustment also includes price cuts on select journeys. For example, the D2342 train from Shenzhen to Chaoshan, Guangdong had its seat prices decrease by about 18.4 percent on average.

A representative of China Railway was quoted by the People’s Daily on April 12 as saying that low railway ticket prices have contributed to southeastern coastal railway lines consistently recording losses, and the adjustment will go some way to improving the revenue stream and operational environment of the railway industry.