Starting from June 15th next month, several high-speed rail lines in mainland China will see fare increases. Among them, the full fare of Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed rail is expected to increase by around 20%. Many people question whether this move is a way of taking advantage of ordinary citizens’ money.
On May 3rd, the “China Business Times” reported that Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed rail announced that starting from June 15, 2024, Wuhan-Guangzhou Railway Passenger Dedicated Line Co., Ltd. will raise prices for high-speed trains traveling at speeds of 300 kilometers per hour and above on the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed rail line, with the full fare of Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed rail expected to increase by around 20%.
The report mentioned that besides the fare increase on the Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed rail, other railway lines are also implementing fare hikes.
Shanghai-Hangzhou Railway Passenger Dedicated Line Co., Ltd., Shanghai-Kunming Railway Passenger Dedicated Line Zhejiang Co., Ltd., Shanghai-Kunming Railway Passenger Dedicated Line Jiangxi Co., Ltd., Shanghai-Kunming Railway Passenger Dedicated Line Hunan Co., Ltd., and Hangzhou-Ningbo Railway Passenger Dedicated Line Co., Ltd. have all issued announcements stating that they will increase fares on their high-speed rail lines starting from June 15.
For instance, the fare for second-class seats from Shanghai Hongqiao to Hangzhou East on the Shanghai-Hangzhou line has increased to 87 yuan, a rise of 19.18%.
The Shanghai-Kunming line will increase ticket prices in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Hunan provinces, with fares such as Hangzhou East to Changsha South second-class seats rising to 485 yuan, an increase of 19.75%. The ticket price for second-class seats from Hangzhou South to Nanchang West has increased from 257 yuan to 308 yuan, a raise of 19.84%.
Meanwhile, the Hangzhou-Ningbo line has raised the fare for second-class seats from 71 yuan to 85 yuan, marking a 19.72% increase.
Mainland netizens have raised concerns about this fare increase, describing it as a way of exploiting the ordinary people. Comments include, “With the current state of the socio-economic conditions, why are high-speed rail fares going up?” “Raising prices was already outrageous, let alone a 20% increase, it’s totally disregarding people’s livelihoods.” “Just ramping up the exploitation.” “Grabbing money shamelessly.” “After such a substantial fare increase, how are people supposed to afford high-speed rail travel? Are the working class not supposed to go home anymore?”
“Many regular train services have been canceled, and now the high-speed rail fares go up by 20%, when will wages increase by 20%?” “Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed rail was already expensive, and now it’s increasing.” “The railways are starting to hike fares, it seems like they want to drive ordinary people to their deaths.” “I’ve lived for over twenty years, but this is the first time I’ve seen railway fare increases.” “With workers’ wages stagnant, prices and fares constantly rising, the conflict between the railways and the general public has further evolved into a clash between railway workers and passengers. Will passive awakening go any further?”