LOCALS now have two ways of traveling to Guangzhou by rail.

    One is the high-speed rail from Shenzhen North Railway Station to Guangzhou South Railway Station, taking 35 minutes per run and costing 75 yuan (US$12) per person. The other is the ordinary train from Shenzhen Railway Station in Luohu District to Guangzhou Railway Station, taking 65 minutes per run and costing 80 yuan per person.

    For travelers bound to Guangzhou’s Panyu area, where Guangzhou South Railway Station and several theme parks are located, taking the high-speed train is a better choice. If travelers take the ordinary trains from Luohu and arrive at Guangzhou Railway Station, they have to spend 30 minutes on the Guangzhou Metro to get to the Panyu area.

    However, if travelers go to areas in downtown Guangzhou, such as Yuexiu and Tianhe districts, taking the ordinary trains from Luohu to Guangzhou Railway Station saves more time than taking the high-speed train. If travelers go by high-speed trains and arrive at Guangzhou South Railway Station, they have to spend 45 minutes on the Guangzhou Metro to get to downtown Guangzhou.

    Residents living in areas near the Shenzhen North Railway Station and Guangming Station, such as Minzhi, Longhua, Dalang, Shiyan, Xili, Pinghu and Bantian subdistricts, can get to downtown Guangzhou in no more than 155 minutes. If they take the ordinary trains from Luohu Railway Station, the total travel time to downtown Guangzhou will be 195 minutes.

    However, more downtown residents will be attracted to the high-speed train after Futian Station is opened in September next year. Futian Station will be located under the Civic Center, in central Futian District.(Wang Yuanyuan)   

Quick transit at station                                   

    SHENZHEN North Railway Station offers quick transit for passengers to the high-speed rail.

    Passengers can take Metro Longhua Line and Huanzhong Line to Shenzhen North Railway Station and it only takes five minutes from the Metro exits to the entrance of the high-speed rail station if you use the escalators or elevators. Hong Kong MTR Shenzhen Co., the operator of Longhua Line, had installed the service desks to guide passengers to the railway stations. Shenzhen transport commission had opened 17 bus routes connected with the station. After getting off the bus at the terminal which is located on the underground floor in the eastern square of the train station, passengers need to walk about 100 meters. (Han Ximin)

   Train features

    Changeable seats

    The eight-compartment high-speed train offers 556 seats including 50 first-class seats in the dining compartment. The rest are economy-class seats. The first-class seats are comfortable and spacious enough for a passenger of 180cm to stretch their legs. The economy-class seats are bigger than those on airplanes.

    Anti-dizziness glass

    Like the trains used on the Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed rail, the windscreens of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen high-speed trains include technology that will prevent travelers from experiencing dizziness when the trains are traveling.

    Food

    Bottles of water on the trains cost 2 yuan each and coffee is 10 yuan per cup. Lunch boxes cost between 10 and 30 yuan. The food is similar to that available at fast-food restaurants.

    Toilets

    The bathrooms in the trains are bigger than in ordinary trains. The VIP toilet in the first class is 6 to 7 square meters. The doors are censor-controlled and facilities are similar to those in the first-class area of an airplane.

    Charging service

    There are charging devices for mobile phones at both ends of each compartment.

    (Han Ximin)