"Blue Arrow," China's first high-speed train, is one of the most used short distance rail routes between the capital of south China's Guangdong Province and Shenzhen during the heavy flow of travelers due to the Spring Festival, which is still witnessing a post-holiday traffic peak.
Starting at 6:48 am from Guangzhou, the train driven by an alternating current takes only one hour on the route to Shenzhen. On an ordinary train it takes four hours. It sets off on its return journey at 17:05.
"I want to give my child an experience of the merit of high technology by bringing him on the "Blue Arrow" to Shenzhen," said a tourist on the train.
He said that time is valuable for anyone including his child now still a student.
Nearly half of the passengers on the train's back journey are Hong Kong residents, said Liu Lie, head of the train crew.
He said tickets for all the 421 seats were booked out on each trip during the holiday. He said the demand for reservations might continue this month.
The train with an operating speed of 200 kilometers per hour went into operation on January 8. It now represents the highest train speed in China.
(Eastday.com 02/03/2001)
