Monthly Archives: January 2011

China’s CRH380A HSR Train Gets Its Own Stamp

One of my best friends recently gave me a stamp album. With a PRC emblem emblazoned in gold, you’d have simply mistaken this for a bunch of propaganda in the forum of stamps you use to stick on “snail mail” … Continue reading

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What To Expect From China Railways in 2011

You may have blinked: in early January 2011 the Chinese Nationwide Railway Conference was held where the railway boss, Liu Zhijun, mixed both the interesting (what’s to be expected this year for China’s railway system) with the boring (all that … Continue reading

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Green Trains: The Classics on the Chinese Rails

To me, it was kind of like a dream come true. I’m not talking about the state-of-the-art CRH380AL HSR that set a world speed record of 486.1 km/h on the Beijing-Shanghai (Jinghu) HSR, nor the CRH380BL, which rivalled it with … Continue reading

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30,000 km in 2011? Why Not?

Disclosure time! My 2010 train trips (and yep, they were the first ones I recorded, trip by trip)… 13,832.33 km 106 trips CNY 7,680 spent (for mainland China travel only) Now: with the HSR network exploding big time here in … Continue reading

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Shanghai to Hong Kong by HSR? Why Not!

The media’s alerted me to one fantastic HSR line I have somewhat stupidly chosen to forget: the Southeast Coast HSR. When this whole thing opens in full by 2015, passenger trains will be able to travel from Shanghai to Hong … Continue reading

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Quick Update: Tianjin-Qinhuangdao HSR On Its Way to Late 2011 Completion

Just look at what that express trip to Tangshan yesterday brought me: a car cruising over 120 km/h to the sound of a tractor (no kidding); huge lines in Tangshan along with accents unintelligible to the average incoming Beijinger… Oh, … Continue reading

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2011 China Spring Festival Peak Travel Season: ID Mandatory for HSR

Last year’s Chunyun (Chinese Spring Festival peak travel season) saw the introduction of the compulsory ID system, which means travellers must now present valid identification when travelling on some trains. This was a very popular move and was one of … Continue reading

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Going Green is a Neat Idea

I was on TV today, talking about “green travel”. (I was on TV for real for just about 30 secs — throwing a question at the host and guests.) The topic we were on: getting from A to B, green. … Continue reading

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Beijing-Yanqing: CNY 2 Soon?

We are headed to nowhere on this train… That, Dear Passengers, is the Beijing Suburban Railway Line S2, which leaves the Beijing North Railway Station to Yanqing Railway Station by Nancaiyuan. The whole trip takes nearly 90 minutes to complete. … Continue reading

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Beijing Subway Lines 4 & Daxing: Watch Where Your Train’s Going!

A train running from Tiangongyuan station, just outside southern Beijing’s South 6th Ring Road, will take forever and a day to run the 50 km to the northernmost terminus at Anheqiao North, just outside the North 5th Ring. You heard … Continue reading

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