High ticket prices put brakes on bullet trains

The first-class fare for the high-speed train from Beijing toTianjinis 51 yuan (US$6.37). A second-class seat costs 42 yuan, even higher than the 40-yuan sleeper ticket, which used to be the most expensive ticket on this route.

The ticket prices for the new train from Beijing to Zhengzhou, capital of centralHenanProvince, is more than double that of a hard seat on an ordinary train.

According to China's price law, an adjustment in the fares of public utilities should be subject to a public hearing and an approval from the State Council.

A Chinese newspaper said the ministry also didn't release the operating cost of the high-speed trains or spell out the reasons for a higher price.

But the ministry said there was no need to hold a public hearing as the seats on the high-speed trains are priced based on a policy issued by theNational Development and Reform Commissionin 1997.

And the policy is still effective, according to a Website run by the Xinmin Evening News.

The made-in-China bullet-shaped trains can reach speeds up to 250 kilometers per hour. The trains now in use go between 120 and 160kph.

TheShanghaiRailway Administration will put 38 bullet trains on its tracks from tomorrow. Thirty-six of them will run out of city-based stations, and two will be added to the Hangzhou-Nanchang run.