All aboard for Beijing-Guangzhou railway

Shuai Bin, a professor at the School of Transportation and Logistics of Southwest Jiaotong University, told China Daily that transportation capacity on the Beijing-Guangzhou railway could not meet business demand in the past, and the high-speed railway is going to improve transportation capacity.

"The high-speed route links Beijing, the political center, with Guangzhou, the industrial hub, which has strategic meaning for China's politics and economy," he said.

Stewardesses work on a high-speed train during a trial trip from Zhengzhou, capital of Central China's Henan province to Beijing, capital of China, Dec 14, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]

Hong Bing, 36, a construction project manager in Zhengzhou who frequently travels to Beijing, said that the opening of the high-speed railway will make his business trips more comfortable and efficient.

"It currently takes at least five-and-a-half hours to travel from Zhengzhou to Beijing by train, but it will be shortened to less than three hours later this month," he said.

Liang Xiuxia, 39, traveled from her rural hometown in Zhoukou, Henan province, to Guangzhou 20 years ago and is now working as a hospital cleaner.

She earns 1,700 yuan per month and regards a ticket home by high-speed rail as "too expensive".

The nearest station along the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed rail to Liang's hometown is in Luohe city, Henan province. A high-speed railway ticket for a trip from Guangzhou to Luohe will cost at least 586 yuan, more than one-third of Liang's monthly income and three times the price for a seat on an ordinary train.

"I won't consider going home by high-speed rail this Spring Festival because a round trip already costs me more than 1,000 yuan. And I still need to spend another 1,000 yuan to buy gifts for my family back in my hometown," said Liang, whose first choice is traveling by coach, not even by ordinary train, because she doesn't need to transfer to a bus from Luohe to Zhoukou.

She isn't excited about the high-speed railway even though it will take her only about six hours to go home. She would rather be on a bus or an ordinary train for more than 15 hours.

"Saving time doesn't matter to me. Saving money does. I think the main concern for every migrant worker is about money," said Liang.

"I don't eat breakfast to save one or two yuan per day, so I'm unlikely to spend 600 yuan on a train ticket."

The railway authorities should take migrant workers' needs into consideration when developing the high-speed railway, said Shuai Bin, the professor.

"High-speed railway tickets are unaffordable for most migrant workers, so railway authorities should open more low-speed railway lines during travel peak periods such as the Spring Festival," he said.

Contact the writers at xujingxi@chinadaily.com.cn and anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn

Zhang Leilong in Zhengzhou contributed to this story.