The ultra-modern, best of the best, spickity span high-tech Shanghai-Beijing Bullet train is now once again mired in controversy.
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Results tagged “bullettrain”
Shanghai-Beijing fast train undergoes second power failure in three days
Photos: The pretty high-speed sisters (高姐) on the Beijing-Shanghai line
Everyone going from Beijing to Shanghai or the other way around in the new high speed trains is in for a treat. There will be 403 pretty attendants, or high-speed sisters (高姐), as called by netizens, attending to passengers needs (don't get too excited though, they are not going to attend to EVERY need). They are all an average of 22 years old and have an average height of 165 centimeters. They are also edumacated - each girl has at least graduated from junior college and can speak standard Mandarin Chinese as well as fluent English.
Beijing-Shanghai bullet train's VIP suites getting axed
The thrill is gone, the dream has died (however, the non-VIP seats we showed you yesterday are staying): "Luxury VIP suites on the forthcoming Shanghai-Beijing High Speed Railway are to be removed and more standard seats installed in their place. The planned VIP suites had attracted heavy criticism from passengers complaining about high ticket prices and the difficulty of buying even standing tickets during the annual Spring Festival rush. Such luxury suites, charging more than 2,000 yuan (US$308) a ticket, appeared on bullet trains between Shanghai and cities in Sichuan Province in January. The suites did not prove popular." [Shanghai Daily]
New Shanghai-Nanjing bullet train raises fares
Starting today, a ticket for the new high-speed rail line between Shanghai and Nanjing will cost you 146 yuan (233RMB for first class), making the trip both intriguing and steeply uninviting. The new bullet train, starting operations on July 1 and traveling at a speed of 350 km per hour, will cut travel time between the two cities from two hours to 73 minutes, which, we assume, is meant to make up for the 56% increase in fare prices. Although, the new train system is supposed to mimic city buses, with five minute intervals between trains during peak hours, which could effectively turn Nanjing into a suburb of Shanghai. Officials have also said that prices could lower depending on market reactions. Commuters, we're crossing our fingers.
Around Shanghai: Little blue people, ladies in qipao... and Cherie Blair
- Not to be outdone by the Australians, the Belgian pavilion has a mascot now as well. Lots of tiny, blue mascots actually, and they're called "The Smurfs." Heard of them? [Shanghai Daily]
- China Music Radar has put up a pretty comprehensive review of Pepsi: Battle of the Bands. If you're still curious, check it out. [China Music Radar]
- We're fascinated by the amusing and adorable Shanghai Qipao club - a Qipao-wearing get together for ladies around town - so we love that someone's done a feature on it. [World Hum]
Seven buried at Beijing-Shanghai railway construction site
According to Shanghai Daily, seven workers were buried when a construction site in Jiangsu Province collapsed earlier today. The accident took place this morning in Lucheng Township, Danyang City. The workers were helping to build the new Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway, which is supposed to accommodate bullet trains that can travel up to 350kmph and cut the travel time between China's two mega-cities to roughly five hours.
New bullet trains cutting Shanghai to Beijing trip to 10 hours
Bullet trains will be replacing all the daily Z trains between Shanghai and Beijing, making the commute between China's two mega-cities take ten hours instead of 12. Sadly, prices will be rising to accommodate the new technology - up to RMB 655 for upper berths and RMB 720 for lower berths one-way. Comparatively, the Z train's upper berth was RMB 478 and the lower berth was only RMB 499. We wonder if these fancy schmancy new bullet trains will have “hard seating.” Sure, it sucks to be sitting for ten hours, but at least you won't be wondering why you didn't just shell out the exact same price to go by plane. Source: Urbanatomy
Shanghai to Kunming by train ... in 9 hours?
By 2015 it could happen, GoKunming reports. The journey currently takes 37 hours. According to GoKunming, "the Shanghai-Kunming passenger line (沪昆客运专线) will connect Shanghai and Kunming via the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan, passing through the major cities of Hangzhou, Nanchang and Changsha. Its target speed is reportedly 350 km/hr."
Train in vain
It may only be a spit away by plane, but for those of us too cheap environmentally concerned to fly, getting up to Beijing for the weekend is a bitch (despite our love of munching through a bottomless nosebag of sunflower seeds to looped pan-pipe renditions of Celine Dion songs). Which is why we don't go. So the proposed high-speed line between Shanghai and BJ, which will reportedly cane it along at 350km/h and take...
China's New Trains: No. 1 with a bullet
We have discussed Shanghai's new bullet trains before, and last week we actually had a chance to ride one. Condensed review: We like.
Today's Links: Pig-free ads, duty free and the Yankees
"Clevenger claims from the first moment his boss mentioned an international assignment, he responded that he and his family would go anywhere in the world except China." Interesting story.
"'China is a multiethnic country,' the network's ad department said in a notice sent to ad agencies late Tuesday. 'To show respect to Islam, and upon guidance from higher levels of the government, CCTV will keep any 'pig' images off the TV screen.'"
"Shanghai officials refused repeated requests for an explanation of the Jianying school's closure. Wang Xin, a spokeswoman for the Shanghai Municipal Education Commmission, would only say of the migrants, 'We are not kicking them out of Shanghai.'"
"I am sure, though, Fallows does NOT grab the booties of hapless Japanese passengers. Why? Because he CHOOSES not to. Whatever culture he and countless other foreigners live in, they selectively CHOOSE behaviours that may not be countenanced in their home countries."
Download away.
"One underground film, Green Hat《绿帽子》, written and directed by Liu Fendou, offers an example of how the Internet provides a platform for the dissemination of materials that are not officially sanctioned and could become widely known in no other way."
"The handles are for emergency use to stop the train automatically so that passengers can open the door by hand to escape," said Yin Wei, a Metro company official. "They must be easy and quick to reach. Setting them inside glass boxes that must be broken to open is not a good idea.'"
"In 2000, daily rent in M50 was only 0.4 yuan (five US cents) to 0.5 yuan a square meter on average. It now stands at about four yuan."
"'Nobility of Time,' a US$1 million bronze sculpture created by Salvador Dali, will be erected on Nanjing Road W. next year."
"Police are calling for any passengers who saw the brake pulled to step forward with information, but said so far they have no idea why the brake was pulled."
"An update from the Pudong airport, where booze and cigs are conveniently priced in US$." Prices on scotch, other spirits and cigs.
"The meetings would focus on arrangements allowing the Yankees to send coaches, scouts, player-development and training personnel to China and to receive Chinese association personnel at the Yankee facilities in the United States, the team said."
"Dutch company 2waytraffic, which holds the rights to the popular TV quiz show, 'Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?' said Thursday that it has licensed a Chinese company to produce a local edition of the program."
"But more generally, journalists and officials say, Chinese reporters are demanding such hush money with increasing regularity from businesses and government agencies in exchange for the withholding of unfavorable news."
"Shanghai-based Ctrip said it had signed an agreement to become strategic partner with Microsoft's MSN China Web site (www.msn.com.cn), allowing the Chinese travel agent to tap over 20 million MSN Messenger users in China."
"They believe there is talent to be cultivated in China, and when future prospects have a choice of where to sign, the Yankees want their brand and reputation to stand out."
"If match attendence is anything to go by, Shanghai seems unaware it has a local basketball team at all." Same as it ever was (since Yao Ming).
The lines are ringing off the hook.
"So the horse meat was like Italian ham, and the raw sheep's heart was like slices of liver pate."
"A first class seat on China's new bullet trains from Shanghai to Nanjing will be sold at 86.4 yuan (US$11.22) ..."
"Hu, a strait-laced communist with little sympathy for cultural relaxation, did not directly mention censorship." Great!
"Chinese media reports quoted Xishan police officer Zhao Jian as saying that drunk foreigners in Kunming was a growing problem and that he expected many foreigners to be escorted to the hospital for sobering up."
For more del.icio.us links, visit the Shanghaiist Contribute page, which is updated throughout the day.
Photos by Nick Liu found via the Shanghaiist Contribute page.
Shanghai to test 'bullet trains' next month
According to Xinhua, these bullet trains are powered by "CRH," which we all know stands for "China Railway Highspeed," and can go 250 km/hour.
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