Date: 24/09/2013

CHANGSHA, China The cavernous rail station here for China’s new high-speed trains was nearly deserted when it opened less than four years ago. Not anymore. Practically every train is sold out, although they leave for cities all over the country every several minutes. Long lines snake back from ticket windows under the 50-foot ceiling of white, gently undulating steel that floats cloudlike over the departure hall. An ambitious construction program will soon nearly double the size of the 16-platform station. [From Dave Scott]

External links

Speedy Trains Transform China

New York Times

Just five years after the high-speed rail system opened, it is carrying nearly twice as many passengers as the countrys domestic airline industry.