Two engines for a long Gaotie train.

I recently discovered that Guiyang has a fourth rail station. We.had one conventional rail station during the sixteen years since I first visited Guiyang in 2000. Then there were three with the addition of a high speed rail station at the new airport and the north high speed rail Station called Beizhan. I just arrived at  the East Station (Dongzhan), from Kaili, about 110 miles away.. It has been open for a couple months. Now there are four train stations . . . one conventional and three high speed rail (300 kph or 186 mph). The high speed rail is called Gaotie, which loosely translates as “High Iron”.

The infrastructure investment is very aggressive here, We have had three train stations and a replacement air terminal open in the last three years. A ring road and a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line circling the city has also been completed during that period.

Cost in time and cash of yesterday’s trip from Kaili is as follows：Kaili kindargarten to train Station, 30 minutes and 4 rmb; Kaili rail station to Guiyang rail station, 35 minutes and 53.5 rmb; Guiyang East Station to my home by bus, 21 minutes and 2 rmb. The short walk to my apartment cost seven minutes and about 16 calories (no cost, calories were borrowed from surplus). It took about an hour and a half including wait times for buses and trains. Total cost from kindergarten to home, about 130 miles was just about 60 rmb, or approx. $9.50.