Market to set rail ticket prices

High-speed railways are the pride of the nation. The country's network of 19,000 kilometers of high-speed train lines is the longest in the world and connects almost all the major Chinese cities. Traveling by high-speed train has become part of more and more people's lives. Of every 10 people who traveled by train last year, four were on a fast track.

That is why it has drawn so much public attention that the operator of the "bullet trains" has been given free rein to set ticket prices.

According to a recent announcement by the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planning agency, China Railway Corp is being empowered to decide how much high-speed train tickets cost in light of "market competition and passenger distribution". Previously, the price was set by the commission itself.