Let's first take a look at the news about the price increase of high-speed rail and the response of the National Railway Company to the price increase!
Recently, the four high-speed rail fares of Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed railway, Shanghai-Hangzhou passenger dedicated, Shanghai-Kunming passenger dedicated, and Hangzhou-Ningbo passenger dedicated will open a price increase window in June, with an increase of about 19%-20%.
China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said that through the flexible implementation of the market-oriented mechanism of high-speed rail fares, the growth of passenger flow will be promoted and the quality of passenger service will be comprehensively improved.
This time, the explanation given by experts about the price increase of high-speed rail is a bit annoying. What they mean is that the grassroots people can choose the green train when they travel, and they also say that time and efficiency do not significantly increase their income!
However, for this round of high-speed rail price increases, netizens' comments are not very friendly. Let's take a look at what some netizens have to say!
The subway is not expensive, and the price increase of this bullet ticket is indeed outrageous;
The currency is depreciating, prices are rising, but wages are still falling;
I always feel that it is the official family who is collecting wool, but in fact it is the ordinary people who are collecting wool;
If the price does not rise, who will pay the national debt;
But don't say that the people are really convenient, even if it's a loss;
improved the service that everyone can sit up and up;
Tobacco, electricity, hospitals, PetroChina, and banks all say they are losing money;
Happiness is without me, but suffering is to be shared by me;
What do you think after reading the above netizens' comments on this round of high-speed rail price increases? My personal impression is: Anything that is closely related to the people and the price increases, then the people must have nothing good to say, which is also understandable.
Many people may not know a few things about the mainland high-speed rail!
First, the total mileage of high-speed rail in mainland China has exceeded 40,000 kilometers, and as early as the end of 2019, the total mileage of high-speed rail in mainland China has ranked first in the world, and now it is estimated that it is far ahead.
Second, the mainland's high-speed rail is in a state of loss on the whole, and it is not a small loss but a big loss. Of the 18 railway bureaus, at least 12 are in the red, and only 6 are barely profitable. In the first three quarters of 2022 alone, the loss of mainland high-speed rail was as high as 100 billion yuan.
To put it simply: the total mileage of the mainland's high-speed rail ranks first in the world, but it is generally in a state of huge loss, and it has been a loss for many years.
Many people will have a huge question: why is the high-speed rail industry still in a state of huge losses under such a large population and such a huge travel demand in the mainland? In fact, the reason is very simple!
First, the construction cost of high-speed rail in mainland China is relatively high. At present, the cost of each kilometer of high-speed rail has reached more than 150 million yuan, which does not include the purchase cost of the head and carriage of the high-speed railway.
Second, the daily maintenance cost of high-speed rail is also very high, such as: labor costs, material costs, safety maintenance costs, etc.
Third, the construction of high-speed rail in mainland China is basically a "swarm" of bees, so most of the construction funds are obtained from bank loans and financing. There is a problem of the cost of using funds, and the annual interest alone is an astronomical amount.
Fourth, high-speed rail is still subject to huge competition from air transportation, and many people generally choose air transportation when they go far away;
Fifth, many high-speed rail lines and high-speed rail stations have been built for "public welfare", that is, there are no people after they are built, and there is no passenger flow after they are built.
All the above reasons, as well as the "special reasons" that have not yet been mentioned, -- what they do, they lose everything! On the whole, the operating costs of the mainland's high-speed railways remain high and they are in a state of huge losses.
In fact, there is only one fundamental reason, that is: I can't afford to lose money, and I can't afford to lose money, so the price of high-speed rail will start to rise.
Now many people are saying: the price of high-speed rail should not be raised, and the reasons they give are nothing more than three points!
First, high-speed rail is originally a "public welfare" industry, a state-owned enterprise, and a national ownership model, so why should the price increase?
Second, many people are saying that the construction funds for high-speed rail were originally provided by the masses, and now they have to charge more money from the masses, which is completely unreasonable.
Third, the previous netizens also said: When the days are good, there is no us, and when the days are sad, the price rises and remembers us, that is, there are blessings and different enjoyments, and there are difficulties to be shared.
I think there's some truth to what you're saying, but it's not quite right. My personal opinion on the price increase of high-speed rail has four points!
First, the price increase of high-speed rail may be an imperative thing, after all, the huge annual loss is an indisputable fact. If you want to continue to operate and develop, what can you do if you don't increase prices in the end?
Second, according to some experts, high-speed rail is only one of the travel options, not the only one. If you want to think that the fare of high-speed rail is high, you can travel by "green" train! No way, according to the experts: even if you take high-speed rail, you can't create more value and increase your income.
Third, with the population decreasing, with the slowdown of urbanization, and with the reduction of the development of various new areas, the peak period of high-speed rail construction seems to have passed. In such a situation, what can we do without raising prices?
Fourth, I think everyone knows what the current fiscal situation is. If it was possible to support, finance, and lend high-speed rail in the past, I am afraid that there is nothing that can be done now.
All in all, in a word: the price increase of high-speed rail is an imperative thing, either the price increase, or the loss, or only the closure of some high-speed rail lines.