Catering and shopping services have totally changed. In the early days, larger terminals had maybe a main restaurant or dining hall though a plethora of small, local dining facilities congregated in the surrounding streets and alleys. Today, stations such as Beijing South, which I regularly use, offer an excellent range of both domestic and international catering brands. Indeed I will go there before my scheduled departure to have a leisurely breakfast in a clean, air-con and smoke-free environment. I pay via my smartphone, then go online to do some work or simply sit at the cafe window and watch the constant flow of people heading off to destinations across China. I can personally vouch for the vast majority of trains departing and arriving on time, moving at speeds up to 350 kph and at a frequency, for example Beijing to Tianjin, sometimes only five or ten minutes apart!
