Shanghai-HK High-Speed Train Launched

The first high-speed train connecting Shanghai with Hong Kong left Hongqiao Railway Station at 2:10pm yesterday with more than 1,000 passengers.

Hong Kong residents Joe Tsang and Cassie Chung were on board the G99 train along with their 2-month-old baby. They had booked the tickets on September 10, the first day when tickets for the Shanghai-Hong Kong line went on sale.

The entire trip takes eight hours and 18 minutes.

“He was too young to fly,” Tsang said of their baby. “Taking a train is a better choice.”

“The best thing is that unlike the flights, you don’t need another ticket for the baby,” Chung said, adding that the seats were spacious.

An old man who identified himself as Dong from Wuxi in Jiangsu Province was traveling with his wife.

“We’ve been to Hong Kong several times,” said Dong. “But this is the first time we are traveling by train.”

A huge railway fan, Qi, was on the train yesterday to record the moment. “I was there when the first T99 train from Shanghai to Hong Kong was launched in 2011,” Qi said. “That trip took almost 20 hours.”

The train’s chief conductor, Li Jiaxiao, said Guangdong cuisines were available on the train. The attendants on the G99 train were trained to speak both Cantonese and English.

“We have prepared a special guide book on tourist attractions and public transportation in both Shanghai and Hong Kong for passengers,” said Li.