The country's first homegrown China Railway High-speed (CRH) series train, also known as the bullet train, made its debut on April 18 this year, ushering in an era of high-speed rail travel. Capable of achieving speeds of up to 250 km per hour, the train received an overwhelming welcome from all over -- newspapers, magazines, TV and radio reports, and the Internet -- despite several delays due to glitches that included power shutdown and brake failure.

The 200th day of the CRH series in service falls on November 3. In mid-October, the new frame of the first Chinese designed and manufactured high-speed train, capable of traveling at 300 km per hour, has already rolled off the production line and will be launched in December. Moreover, the 115-km Beijing-Tianjin express route is also scheduled for completion by the end of this year; it will be put into trial service in the first quarter of next year, and launched before the Beijing Olympic Games. The express train will leave the station every five minutes and cut journey time from 80 minutes to 30 minutes.

Airplane on wheels

Hu Xia, a rookie reporter in Beijing, was fortunate enough to get a ride on a CRH train, Harmony D51, for a business trip to Qingdao, a coastal city in east China's Shandong Province.

"This is the first time I'm doing a business trip, and I feel lucky to have had the chance to ride on a CRH train, which I've only seen on TV," said Hu, with a big smile.

A native of central China's Henan Province, Hu makes home trips only on national holidays. "I'm sure you can imagine how much of a struggle the trip is (from Henan). It's like a battle when tickets are hard to get, and trains are overcrowded during the eight-hour journey," she said.

The trip on a CRH, however, presents a striking contrast despite the higher cost. Instead of being driven by single engines, high-speed trains are equipped with multiple engines embedded inside separate units. Each unit is fitted with special glass, which is also injury-proof in the event of shattering.

Inside, the carriages are cleaner and the seats more comfortable; free mineral water, hot water and railway monthly magazines are provided to each passenger; the partition door between units are automatic; and the toilets are modern and cleaner as well. Moreover, the boarding steps between carriages and platforms have been done away with, making it easier for wheelchairs. Toilets specially designed for the disabled are also available onboard.

"The crew members were very patient and helpful," said Hu, "It felt like we are traveling on an airplane."

Hu's views were echoed by Fan Linqiang, an IT engineer in Tianjin who often goes on business trips.

"The CRH is not new to me -- I took it at least three times this month. It's convenient and cuts travel time for the 880-km journey time from 10 hours to 5.5 hours," Fan told Beijing Review. "But some things need improving. For example, the monthly magazines could be replaced by newspapers. Would you read the same magazine thrice? There are very few plug points for laptops. The Internet and mobile phone network on board are not so stable.

"And the most annoying thing to me are the seats. It's too cramped for a man like me, 1.95 m in height and 100 kg in weight."

Innovation, core of the sixth speed-up

The nationwide speed-up of China's railways, initiated on April 18, is the sixth of its kind since 1997, when most trains in China were running at a mere 60 km per hour.