Sold-Out Beijing Bullet Trains Show Passengers Unfazed by Crash

Hao Jian Jun anticipated getting a cheap seat on a bullet train from Beijing to Shanghai at the last minute. Instead, he waited four hours to board and paid triple the price he expected because the line is so popular.

A month after a crash on China’s showcase network killed 40 people, Hao and other passengers said they believed bullet trains were safer, cheaper and more convenient than planes. Congestion suggests the 221 billion-yuan ($35 billion) line between the nation’s wealthiest cities may meet an initial goal of carrying about 70 million passengers a year.