It's about to be the May Day holiday, when you grab tickets, have you noticed that many trains starting with "Z" and "T" have disappeared again?
It is often said on the Internet that direct trains starting with the Z word are more cost-effective than high-speed rail, on the grounds that such trains are often overcrowded. This can indeed indicate that there are a lot of people on the bus. But there is also the possibility that the number of these types of trains is decreasing, resulting in passengers who could have been dispersed concentrated on a single train.
As for the replacement with a new bullet train model, it cannot be said that no one is riding, but the passengers obviously miss the original model more.
So, is it really the Z-shaped train that is better? Is it really an advantage over high-speed rail, or is it our nostalgia for the problem?
At the beginning of the year, the Z-shaped direct train was optimized
Since the continuous operation of bullet trains and high-speed railways, although the original trains are still divided into K, T, and Z, the actual speed difference is not large.
The only difference is the Z direct train, which is slightly faster than the K and T trains due to the minimum number of stops.
It is precisely because the speed is slightly faster, and the price is cheaper than that of bullet trains and high-speed rail, so in recent years, direct trains have become a sweet spot in the eyes of passengers.
For example, on the Beijing-Guangzhou line, from Beijing to Changsha and Guangzhou, there were originally several direct trains. Thousands of kilometers away, with only three or four stops in between, the comprehensive cost performance is the highest.
However, since the beginning of the year, after a new round of adjustment of the railway timetable, the largest number of optimized trains is precisely the number of Z-shaped trains.
According to the media comparison, at least 9 of the trains running from Beijing West Railway Station have been optimized.
Specifically, many direct trains to Guangzhou in South China, Yunnan-Guichuan in the southwest and Lanzhou in the northwest no longer exist.
After the original train number was adjusted, it was replaced by the CR200J train, that is, the power centralized EMU with a turquoise exterior color.
(Newly replaced model, the speed is still 160 km/h)
In fact, it is precisely because of this adjustment that many netizens have discussed it.
Change the price of the car and do not change the speed
There used to be a direct train from Beijing to Guangzhou called Z35, and the train running time was 21 hours and 53 minutes.
After the original train was optimized and changed to a new model, the name was changed to D35, but the train running time was 21 hours and 44 minutes. In other words, the new model is only 9 minutes faster than the original.
(Interior of the new model)
In addition, the operating hours of several direct trains from Beijing to the northwest have basically not changed after the model change.
If the car is changed without changing the speed, the direct car or other green cars, if they are replaced by power centralized EMUs, this mode will continue in terms of speed.
This is because the new model is also designed for a speed of 160 kilometers per hour, which is in line with the top speed of the original direct train.
From the price point of view, in the past, the lowest hard-seat ticket price for the direct train from Beijing to Guangzhou was about 250 yuan, and other models with K and T prefixes were basically this price.
After the new model is replaced, there is a distinction between second-class seats, second-class sleepers and first-class seats and first-class sleepers, and the price of a second-class ticket is 327 yuan and a second-class sleeper is 522 yuan.
Compared with the price of the original direct car, the price of the hard seat has increased by more than 70 yuan, and the price of the sleeper has increased by nearly 100 yuan.
It is worth mentioning that the fare displayed after the change of vehicle type is sometimes a discounted fare. Because the bullet train implements a floating fare, the price varies greatly between peak passenger flow and low crowd periods.
For example, for the train from Beijing to Chengdu, the price of a second-class seat when there is a discount is 327 yuan, and if it is an original ticket, the price is actually 726 yuan.
In other words, once the green car models, including direct cars, are replaced, the price will rise to varying degrees.
In recent years, some train operation adjustments, as long as the green car is subtracted, and the number of trains with centralized power is increased, and its operation characteristics are to change the price without changing the speed.
In this case, if the direct trains on some routes are completely optimized, passengers will have to take other trains.
If there are still a small number of direct trains on some routes, some passengers are expected to choose the original direct train if they can buy tickets. After all, not all passengers can afford the price increase.
Why are old models missed?
Compared to the old model, the speed of the new model has not changed much, but the seat angle can be adjusted, and the charging equipment is also installed under the seat, which improves the riding experience.
But even so, the increase in prices still makes many passengers nostalgic for the models of the past. If the speed is the same, the difference in price cannot make up for the psychological gap of passengers through the upgrade of the riding experience.
At least for some long-distance travelers, they are willing to choose a slower train rather than a high-speed train or a plane, and they are ready to sacrifice the ride experience.
In particular, those migrant workers who only go home once or twice a year, as well as students who go home during the winter and summer vacations, are more sensitive to the price than those who often travel by train.
As a result, the number of trains of the original models has been continuously optimized, and those who are not willing to spend more money on high-speed trains and bullet trains will try their best to squeeze into the few ordinary speed trains.
Whenever you board this type of train, the carriages are always packed. On the surface, it seems to be people's active choice, but in fact, many people are also forced to do so.
The old model that is missed by people has become the most cost-effective train in the minds of many people. Of course, there are also opinions that the prices of Z\T\K trains are still used more than 30 years ago, so there is a clear difference between them and the prices of high-speed rail and bullet trains.
From this point of view, many people miss the old model, and most of the factors are due to the price.
On the one hand, the high cost performance of the power centralized EMU is that the other reason for the price increase is that this is a newly manufactured model in recent years, so when setting the price, the price standard of 30 years ago is no longer used, but the pricing standard of high-speed rail is adopted.
Another factor in the high price of high-speed rail is the increased speed, but for some passengers, they are not time sensitive and do not need to rush as business people. In this way, the time advantage is also dispensable in their eyes.
The advantage of the ride experience can be sacrificed, and the advantage of time can also be abandoned, once some passengers do not have big requirements for these two points, then he may be sensitive to the price.
Therefore, as long as there is a choice, such passengers should still choose the ordinary speed train.
There is also a situation that because the general speed train stops at a relatively large number of stations, some passengers' arrival needs can be better met, and then the general speed train will also be missed.
On the whole, the comprehensive advantages of direct trains will be missed by passengers, and the comprehensive advantages of K and T trains are less weaker than those of direct trains, but the price advantage still makes many people willing to take it.
Therefore, there is also a view that the price increase of the new model is understandable even if the original price has not changed for 30 years.
Exactly how it is, this involves the pricing mechanism of the train.
Multiple changes to the train pricing mechanism
Let's first look at the cheapest price of ordinary speed cars, that is, the price of a hard seat ticket, which is currently in force, was introduced in 1995.
The price of a hard seat ticket is 0.058 yuan per kilometer, which is basically priced at 6 cents per kilometer, and then priced according to the specific mileage.
With the construction and operation of high-speed rail on the mainland, a new pricing mechanism was introduced. Prices have been raised on the basis of the original, and the nature of pricing has changed.
The early construction of high-speed rail is an investment model, and all infrastructure relies on loans, so whether it is profitable or not after it is put into operation, it must make up for the deficit in the early stage. If you think about profitability, the price will naturally go up.
So in essence, the nature of high-speed rail and general-speed trains is fundamentally very different. High-speed rail is a commercial project with an investment nature, and the traditional general-speed train, which has greater inclusiveness, so the price of the latter has not changed for many years.
In contrast, high-speed rail has been changing and reforming its pricing for many years since it was put into operation on a large scale.
For example, in the reform in 2015, the NDRC delegated the pricing power of high-speed rail to the railway department, and only the price of general-speed trains was still approved by the NDRC.
After the pricing power of high-speed rail is lowered, its price setting has also become more flexible. This is also the reason why in recent years, high-speed rail tickets have fluctuated and discounted.
Just like airplane tickets, since it depends on the market to guide, flexible prices can be more attractive to ride. But then again, the inclusiveness of trains will continue to be important for a long time.
This is also the reason why when there is a big change in the price of a train, the public reacts violently.
The current situation is that the number of ordinary speed trains is further reduced. On the main railway lines in China, the overall scale of general-speed trains has been further reduced.
After changing to a new model, some passengers chose the high-speed rail, while the other part still chose the regular speed model. But no matter how you choose, the original price is gone, and it is replaced by a floating price.
According to some passengers, because of the fluctuating prices, it is sometimes even possible to buy tickets at ridiculously low prices. This change in the new price mechanism requires people to adapt as soon as possible.
epilogue
Judging from the overall development trend, the goal of railway transportation in the future should be high-speed rail lines to undertake passenger transportation, while conventional lines will mainly undertake freight tasks after further reducing passenger trains.
In addition, the public welfare trains currently reserved in some remote areas can receive special subsidies from the central government every year, because the operation of such trains can be carried out regardless of the cost.
However, this type of train is a minority after all, and it is not universal from the perspective of the overall operation of the train. Therefore, most people's travel, with the further adjustment of trains in the future, will have to gradually adapt to new changes.
The new changes have the adjustment mechanism of the market, and the price fluctuation change has become the main mode, replacing the past bottom mechanism, and the price fluctuation has also made many passengers more selective.
Resources:
"Railway Adjustment Map and General Speed Modification Train, Riding Experience Improved, Time Taken Similarly, Fare Increase" Jiemian News January 11, 2024
"Another batch of trains has become high-speed rail, but I miss the green train a little" New Weekly January 24, 2024