More passengers shuttling between China’s two biggest cities are choosing to hop on a bullet train rather than a flight, as airlines struggle to match the convenience offered by the country’s ultra-modern high-speed rail network.
The shift to rail has become so pronounced on the busy Beijing-Shanghai route that China’s air travel industry has warned its market is being “eroded”, with airlines scrambling to lure back customers with cheaper tickets and free limousine services.
Passengers made more than 52 million trips by train between Beijing and Shanghai last year, while only about 8.6 million people took a flight between the two cities, according to civil aviation platform Hangban Guanjia.
More than 100 high-speed trains now run between Beijing and Shanghai in both directions each day at speeds of up to 350km/h (217 mph), most of them comprising 16 to 17 carriages including first- and business-class cabins.
The profitability and high usage rate on the Beijing-Shanghai line offers a stark contrast to some other Chinese railways. Many lines in the country’s sparsely populated central and western provinces run at heavy losses.
Business travellers make up a particularly large proportion of rail passengers, Tong Lijun, deputy chief of Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, told domestic media outlet Jiefang Daily.
“They favour many conveniences rail transport can offer but air travel cannot, such as good punctuality, city centre-to-city centre connectivity, reliable services even during unstable weather, and the flexibility to change departure times,” Tong said.
“Many tend to avoid air travel since having to go offline on a flight can be a deal-breaker, as they need to make full use of the journey to stay connected and do some work,” he added.