High-speed rail, as a fast, comfortable and convenient means of transportation, used to be the first choice for many people to travel. However, in recent years, with the popularization and development of high-speed rail, some problems have gradually been exposed, resulting in a decline in many people's satisfaction with high-speed rail, and even do not want to take high-speed rail anymore. Why is that?
The ** of high-speed rail is one of the important factors affecting many people to take high-speed rail. According to the data of [China Railway Corporation], as of June 2023, the operating mileage of China's high-speed railways reached 420,000 kilometers, accounting for 71% of the total mileage of high-speed rail in the world. The rapid development of high-speed rail has also brought huge investment and operating costs. In order to recover the cost, the fare of high-speed rail is also constantly **. According to the data of the China Railway Customer Service Center, during the Spring Festival in 2023, the average fare of high-speed rail in the country is 065 yuan km, compared with 054 yuan km ** 20%.
Moreover, the fare of high-speed rail is also affected by the dynamic price adjustment mechanism, according to passenger flow, season, holidays and other factors, high-speed rail fares will fluctuate to varying degrees, up to 15 times. Such a ** level makes many people feel that high-speed rail is no longer worth the money, and in some cases, the ticket price of high-speed rail exceeds the ticket price of the plane. For example, the high-speed train from Beijing to Shanghai is 1,318 kilometers and costs 553 yuan for a second-class seat, while the plane on the same route is 1,075 kilometers and costs only 399 yuan for economy class. Such a comparison has made many people choose to abandon high-speed rail and choose airplanes or other modes of transportation instead.
The quality of high-speed rail service is another important factor affecting many people to take high-speed rail. As a high-end means of transportation, high-speed rail should provide high-quality services that make passengers feel comfortable and respected. However, with the popularization and development of high-speed rail, the service quality of high-speed rail has shown a downward trend, which has disappointed many people. According to the data of the [National Railway Administration], in the first half of 2023, the national satisfaction with the quality of railway passenger transport services was 778%, down 22 percentage points. Among them, the satisfaction rate of high-speed rail is 802%, down 31 percentage point.
The service quality of high-speed rail has declined, mainly in the following aspects:
The safety of high-speed rail has been questioned. In recent years, there have been some accidents on the high-speed railway, such as the fire on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway in 2019, the derailment of the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway in 2020, and the collision of the Shanghai-Kunming high-speed railway in 2021, which have caused losses to people and property, and also seriously affected the safety image of the high-speed railway. Although the railway authorities have investigated and dealt with these accidents, many people still have doubts about the safety of high-speed rail, fearing that riding high-speed rail will be dangerous.
The on-time performance of high-speed rail has decreased. The speed and punctuality of high-speed rail is a major advantage of high-speed rail. However, with the increase in the operating density of high-speed rail, the on-time performance of high-speed rail has shown a downward trend. According to the data of [China Railway Customer Service Center], in the first half of 2023, the on-time rate of high-speed rail in the country was 936%, down 34 percentage points. The delay of high-speed rail is mainly caused by factors such as maintenance, construction, failure, and weather of high-speed rail lines. The delay of high-speed rail not only affects passengers' travel plans, but also reduces passengers' travel experience.
The service attitude of high-speed rail is not good. The service personnel of the high-speed rail are the "window" of the high-speed rail and the bridge of communication between the high-speed rail and passengers. The service personnel of the high-speed rail should have good professionalism and service skills, and provide warm, thoughtful and professional services for passengers. However, many passengers reported that the service staff of the high-speed rail had a poor service attitude, and sometimes even rude, indifferent and rude. For example, some passengers have reported that the conductors, ticket inspectors, and conductors of high-speed railways often answer passengers' questions impatiently, do not take the initiative to help, do not respect passengers' opinions and needs, and even abuse, threaten, and intimidate passengers. Such a service attitude makes passengers feel dissatisfied and angry, and also damages the service image of high-speed rail.
The problem of high-speed rail is not only the problem of high-speed rail itself, but also the problem of the railway industry, but also the problem of society and economy. The development of high-speed rail should not only blindly pursue speed and scale, but also pay attention to quality and efficiency, and meet the needs and expectations of passengers. In order for high-speed rail to regain the trust and love of passengers, the development direction of high-speed rail needs to be adjusted to give many people hope. Specifically, there are the following aspects:
Optimize the fare mechanism of high-speed rail to make high-speed rail more affordable. The fare of high-speed rail should be reasonably formulated and adjusted according to factors such as the cost, market, and competition of high-speed rail, so as to ensure the benefits of high-speed rail and the affordability of passengers. The fare of high-speed rail should have a certain degree of flexibility, and be dynamically adjusted according to different times, places, passenger flows, etc., so as to achieve differentiated pricing and avoid a one-size-fits-all approach.
The fare of the high-speed rail should also have certain discounts, and for special groups such as the elderly, students, and the disabled, certain discounts or subsidies should be given to improve the service quality of the high-speed rail and make the high-speed rail more comfortable. The service quality of high-speed rail is not only reflected in hardware facilities, but also in software services. The hardware facilities of high-speed rail should be kept in good running condition, and overhauled and updated in time to avoid failures and accidents.
The software service of high-speed rail should improve the professionalism and service skills of service personnel, and provide warm, thoughtful and professional services for passengers. For the service quality of high-speed rail, an effective supervision and evaluation mechanism should also be established, and the opinions and suggestions of passengers should be collected and fed back in a timely manner, so as to continuously improve and perfect the service level. Adjust the development strategy of high-speed rail to make it more sustainable. The development of high-speed rail should not only look at the immediate benefits, but also consider the long-term impact.
The development of high-speed rail should be in line with the national development plan and strategy, and develop in coordination with other modes of transportation to form complementarity and advantages. The development of high-speed rail should also follow scientific planning and design, and rationally lay out high-speed rail lines and stations to avoid waste of resources and environmental damage. The development of high-speed rail should pay more attention to the needs and expectations of society, meet the travel needs of different regions and groups, and promote regional economic and social development.
In short, high-speed rail, as an advanced means of transportation, has great potential and value. However, high-speed rail also faces some problems and challenges, and some adjustments and improvements are needed to make high-speed rail regain the trust and love of passengers. We believe that as long as high-speed rail can adhere to the passenger-centered approach and continuously improve its quality and efficiency, it will become the best choice for us to travel.