“…China has unveiled what it bills as the fastest rail link in the world –
- a train connecting the modern cities of Guangzhou and Wuhan at an average speed of 350 kilometres an hour.
When I told her I was planning to zigzag across her country to savour Avatar-esque countryside … ancient imperial capitals and metropolises that never sleep ..
… my Chinese friend Nan had a morsel of advice.
“Use eLong.net,” she beamed.
“It’s amazing. Super-cheap flights.
Cheaper than trains or buses, some of the time.”
I didn’t want to be rude but I had to tell her that she was wasting her breath.
I’d already decided that I was going the whole hog by rail: from Guangzhou in the south, to Qingdao in the north, with stops at Guilin, Shanghai, Xian and Beijing along the way.
Despite the vagaries of long-haul train travel – I’d turned the air blue on occasions during previous trips across Europe, India and Vietnam –
- I’ve never been a big fan of flying internally … especially when you have time not to … and particularly in a country such as China.
As well as its astonishingly rich history and culture, the Middle Kingdom has made no secret of the fact it wants to develop one of the world’s greatest high-speed rail networks.
The government is investing accordingly, with billions of yuan being splashed on new infrastructure …
… the target being a drastic cut in journey times … and a further boost to the country’s already rocketing economy.
I felt it would be a shame to visit China … and not see how it’s all coming along…”
go to source/story>>>Epic rail: fast train revolution | Stuff.co.nz
