HIGH-SPEED train G634 from Shenzhen to Nanchang via Changsha, which was officially put into use Tuesday, has drawn complaints because of its high fare, Shenzhen Economic Daily reported.

    An economy-class seat for the whole 1,151 km trip, which takes five hours and 12 minutes, costs 546.5 yuan (US$87), 194 yuan higher than the D2322 train that runs to Nanchang via the Shenzhen-Xiamen high-speed rail, even though it saves passengers about 3 hours and 40 minutes of travel time.

    The tickets for all 1,112 seats in the 16-carriage trains sold out the first day they became available.

    According to the latest schedule, G634 leaves Shenzhen North Railway Station at 4:32 p.m. and arrives at Nanchang West Station at 9:44 p.m.

    Guangzhou Railway Group Corp. operates two pairs of high-speed trains between Shenzhen and Nanchang since the Nanchang-Changsha section of the Shanghai-Kunming high-speed rail opened this week.

    Train G638 departed at 6:38 p.m. and arrived at 11:32 p.m. yesterday.

    The 342 km Nanchang-Changsha section has seven stations and is designed for trains to run at 350 km/h.

    “The fare is unbelievably high, even higher than the cost to fly during the off-peak season,” Jiangxi native Chen Zhiwen, who has been working in Shenzhen for years, complained.

    According to regulations, fares for high-speed trains are dictated based on how fast the train travels. The Shenzhen-Nanchang fare is set at 0.47 yuan per kilometer, higher than the standard 0.435 yuan per kilometer along the Wuhan-Guangzhou line and the 0.3 yuan per kilometer for the Xiamen-Shenzhen line.

    Bus fare to Nanchang ranges between 240 yuan and 300 yuan while airfare in the off-peak season is around 280 yuan.

    “Though the high-speed trains to Nanchang can divert some air passengers, the line won’t pose a threat to air service because of the high price,” Yang Tao, an employee with the marketing department of Shenzhen Airlines, said.(Han Ximin)