, Columnist
Just Say No to High-Speed Rail
China's famously fast trains don't make much sense in other countries.
Keep dreaming.
Photographer: Qilai Shen/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
When awestruck visitors say they can see the future in China, they're often talking not just about the sci-fi architecture and bedazzling mobile apps, but the country’s massive network of high-speed trains.
In just under a decade, China has laid nearly 12,000 miles of high-speed rail lines and plans to add another 6,400 miles over the next five years. This network -- by far the world’s largest -- has knitted together distant regions, improved logistics and opened up previously unimaginable travel opportunities (at least for those Chinese who can afford the tickets, which tend to price out lower-income travelers).