Recently, the railway department announced that a number of popular high-speed rail lines will start to increase in price in June, with an increase of up to 20%. As soon as this news was released, it immediately aroused widespread attention and heated discussions.
Many passengers are worried about the further increase in the pressure of life, and some even suggest doubling the price directly. What is the hidden story behind this? What new changes are about to usher in in the railway industry, and how should ordinary people cope with the ensuing price "crit?"
I have to admit that this increase in fares has indeed brought a heavy financial burden to many people. Taking the Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed railway as an example, the fare of some trains has risen by as much as 20%, which means that the original fare of 100 yuan is now 120 yuan.
For ordinary office workers with a monthly income of only 5,000 yuan, it is undoubtedly a big expense. Many netizens were indignant and shouted that "the railway department is raising prices like crazy again".
However, experts have given another interpretation. They believe that this fare adjustment is not a "crazy price increase in the railway sector", but with the acceleration of the industry's marketization process, the fare increase has become an inevitable trend.
Li Jingze, director of the Railway Law Research Center of China University of Political Science and Law, said that as a market-oriented industry, the fare adjustment only conforms to the needs of marketization. He even predicts that fares will be adjusted more frequently in the railway sector in the future.
Li Jingze explained that this is mainly for two purposes: first, to better meet the travel needs of passengers; The second is to ensure the sustainable development of the railway industry.
In the face of increasingly fierce market competition, the railway sector must continuously improve its service level, which requires more human, material and financial resources. The appropriate adjustment of fares is undoubtedly one of the sources of funds for the maintenance and development of the railway sector.
So, in the face of this "skyrocketing" price, how should ordinary people respond? Experts suggest that passengers can start from the following aspects:
First, plan your trip well in advance and choose a time slot and train with lower fares. Generally speaking, the price of the midday and evening trains will be relatively low, especially during peak traffic periods such as holidays, and passengers can adjust their travel time appropriately to achieve the purpose of saving money.
Second, choose a more affordable type of ticket. For example, choosing an EMU instead of a high-speed railway, and a general express instead of an EMU can also save travel costs to a certain extent.
Third, pay attention to the various preferential policies launched by the railway department. For example, preferential measures for special groups such as students, seniors, and military personnel, as well as discounts during holidays, can help passengers get more affordable tickets.
Fourth, wait patiently for the improvement of railway service levels. Li Jingze said that the railway department is constantly improving its services, and improving operational efficiency by adding equipment such as trolleybuses and ticket vending machines will undoubtedly be able to attract more passengers.
In fact, this fare adjustment is undoubtedly a microcosm of the marketization process of the railway industry. In the fierce market competition, the railway sector must find new development momentum, and fare adjustment is undoubtedly an important means. Of course, this also brings a certain economic burden to ordinary people.
But we can't ignore the fact that the railway authorities are increasing fares while also bringing a better service experience to passengers. For example, through the increase of intelligent equipment, the operational efficiency has been improved; Through the introduction of targeted preferential policies, the travel costs of some groups have been effectively reduced. All these have undoubtedly injected new impetus into railway travel in the "high-speed rail era".
Perhaps, this fare adjustment is just the beginning of the market-oriented transformation of the railway industry. We will see more shocking changes in the coming days. In any case, the railway authorities should adhere to the "people-centered" development concept, improve service levels while trying to control fare increases, and strive to achieve a balance between fairness and efficiency.
Only in this way can ordinary people truly feel the dividends brought by the development of high-speed rail, not just the heavy fares. This is not only related to the travel life of thousands of households, but also affects the transportation pattern and people's livelihood of the whole country. Let us look forward to a more rational and responsible attitude of the railway sector to lead China's high-speed rail industry to a more brilliant tomorrow!