Having said that, the high speed trains are just as nice if not nicer (i.e. more comfortable and clean) than any train I have taken in Japan, Europe and the U.S.
And from what foreign friends in China tell me, the same goes for longer distance trains as well.
FYI: the high speed train between Hangzhou and Shanghai (170 km in 1 hour and 20 minutes) is 54 RMB (about €5.50); the slower train is 30-40 RMB.
FYI 2: When the Shanghai-Hangzhou Maglev Train starts rolling in 2014, the commute between Shanghai and Hangzhou will be cut down to 27 minutes. Cynicism is intellectual treason.
An older train from Hangzhou to Shanghai:
(the goofy guy on the right is me, and the one on my left is my kid brother)
And here are some pix from a newer train from Shanghai to Hangzhou:
Not a flying saucer, but Shanghai South Station:
Inside Shanghai South:
Boarding the train:
Dining car:
Inside:
Then there is the Shanghai Maglev connecting Shanghai Pudong Airport with Longyang-lu station in the city:
The maglev "tracks":
Approaching...
Arriving...
Here is a really short and crummy video of the Shanghai Maglev Train pulling into Longyang-lu station (which I took to get to Pudong Airport): Unfortunately, I did not start recording till the train was close, which does not give you an idea of how quiet it is. (This video was actually taken on a different day than those pictures.)
The maglev can go up to 431 km/h, but it has never gone much faster than 300 km/h whenever I have ridden it (which makes sense, given the very short distance it goes between Longyang-lu Station and the airport:
Cynicism is intellectual treason.
