Rude shock, and no breakfast, on a high-speed train

Service has a long way to go for nation's expanding rail network to be up to scratch

With more than 16,000 kilometers of high-speed rail network, or 60 percent of the world's total, China has gained worldwide fame over the past 10 years.

Millions have taken a ride on the country's bullet trains - everyone, it seems, except me, because I've been working in Brussels for the past few years.

But I finally got my chance during the recent Spring Festival holiday on a visit to my relatives in Zhengzhou, Henan province. It was a ride that I'll freely admit made me both happy and annoyed.

Shortly after I landed in Beijing early on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, I took a taxi to Beijing West railway station, where I could only buy a first-class ticket on the self-service machine that cost twice the price of a second-class ticket.

Having learned from the media that the service on China's high-speed trains were comparable to those offered in planes, I thought I would be treated as a distinguished guest on the train.

After a safety check, I waited to be called for boarding at 8 am and even though my special ticket said I did not have to wait in line, I was moved to a long queue for the platform.

The carriage for the 12 first-class seats is at the very front of the bullet train. When the train began moving, I found that I was the only passenger in the carriage. Many reports have revealed that seats like mine have not been selling well because of the price.

Since it was the early morning. I thought the attendants, who were decently dressed, would soon serve me breakfast or water. Instead, a middle-aged attendant checked to see whether I held the proper ticket - he clearly had no intention of saying whether I could be offered free breakfast or water. When I asked, he replied it would be offered shortly. Half an hour later, another attendant came around with a trolley of food and nodded when I asked if I needed to pay for it. Annoyed, I asked when the free breakfast and water would arrive.

He replied, "Very soon." I would have to wait. Finally, in the middle of the three-hour journey, an attendant came in with a bottle of water and a pack of biscuits, but not a formal breakfast. I had paid almost 600 yuan ($96; 88 euros) for my ticket and I was disappointed.

The train was traveling at about 300 kilometers an hour, but at every stop, a female speaker would announce the train's safety regulations, such as the prohibition of smoking, the penalty for boarding without a ticket and so on.

When I was a college student traveling between Sichuan province and Beijing 20 years ago, the crowded trains during the summer and winter holidays were a nightmare. It was dirty, slow and noisy, and it was hard to get a seat. I had to stand for the entire journey, which took more than 30 hours from Chengdu to Beijing. Service was terrible in those years.

So I had hoped it would improve on the bullet train. Yes, some attendants were polite, but when the train approached my destination of Zhengzhou, I was startled by the sound of snoring. I turned back to see that an attendant was sleeping, his feet on the back of the seat in front of him. I was astonished. Shouldn't he have had his rest when his shift was over?

It is a fact that China's high-speed trains have offered much more service options for passengers, so perhaps my experience was uncommon. But clearly, it has shown that I did not get my money's worth.

Last year, China built 8,200 km of train tracks, some of which was built for high-speed trains. Premier Li Keqiang said in his annual work report this year that China is aiming to invest 800 billion yuan to construct more than 8,000 km of railways this year.

My suggestion is that China needs to greatly improve its train services to compete against the services offered by airlines. With its ambition to expand the construction of train tracks across the world, China must offer quality services to satisfy passengers.

The author is China Daily chief correspondent in Brussels. Contact the writer at fujing@chinadaily.com.cn