TikToker Chey Pope (@chey_pope) moved to China from the U.S. with her husband and dog in 2024. Her favorite way to explore her new home? High-speed trains.
"My fave way to get around china," the caption read in one of her TikToks.
@chey_pope our travel day from beijing to shanghai! love taking the high speed train - my fav way to get around china 🤩 first class tickets are absolutely worth it! felt so good to be back in shanghai wooooo #china #foreignersinchina #lifeinchina #livinginchina #americaninchina #beijing #shanghai ♬ original sound - teeharpo
The Popes met up with visiting relatives before taking the train from Beijing to Shanghai, which is about a 665-mile distance. Driving between the two cities would take almost 17 hours.
The train slices that time in half.
Pope showed a screen that displayed their traveling speed, which was 344 kilometers per hour (almost 214 miles per hour).
"Speedy," she noted.
China's high-speed rail (HSR) network is relatively recent, having been completed within the last 20 years, per CNN. Rail travel expert Mark Smith told CNN that these trains are "often faster and certainly more reliable than Chinese domestic flights." They're often cheaper, too, with most tickets starting at around $13.
HSR also benefits the planet. According to a 2020 study published in Transportation Research, highway passenger volume sharply decreases in areas surrounding a newly-opened HSR station. You know what also decreases? Air pollution. During HSR operating hours, air pollution takes a nosedive.
HSR could bring similar benefits to the United States. Cars, the preferred method of U.S. travel, are one of the biggest contributors to air pollution. While electric cars are preferable to their gas-powered counterparts, data from the UK shows that trains are one of the most efficient and least-polluting forms of travel, beating out even electric cars.
So, is the U.S. on board? Kind of. California is in the process of building its own high-speed rail system, ideally starting service by the decade's end. There's also Brightline West, which will connect Las Vegas to Los Angeles and (hopefully) open by 2028. However, a national rail system remains elusive.
TCD Picks » Upway Spotlight
💡Upway makes it easy to find discounts of up to 60% on premium e-bike brands
|
Would you want EV-charging roads installed in your town? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Sign me up 👍 Commenters on Pope's video shared their own HSR experiences in China.
"Gosh I miss living in China!" one commenter said. "Thanks for sharing!"
"We took the HSR Business class from Shanghai to Beijing," another shared. "Fantastic!!!"
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
