By KEITH BRADSHER
The New York Times - September 23, 2013CHANGSHA, China — The cavernous rail station here for China’s new high-speed trains was nearly deserted when it opened less than four years ago.
Not anymore. Practically every train is sold out, although they leave
for cities all over the country every several minutes. Long lines snake
back from ticket windows under the 50-foot ceiling of white, gently
undulating steel that floats cloudlike over the departure hall. An
ambitious construction program will soon nearly double the size of the
16-platform station.
Just five years after China’s high-speed rail system opened, it is
carrying nearly twice as many passengers each month as the country’s
domestic airline industry. With traffic growing 28 percent a year for
the last several years, China’s high-speed rail network will handle more
passengers by early next year than the 54 million people a month who
board domestic flights in the United States.
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