New Railway Station - Shenzhen North

On 26 December, Boxing Day, China opened its latest Hi Speed rail link.

This shot is of the cavernous new Shenzhen North Railway Station.

I kind of like the glossy reflections on the tiled floor and the way they mirror the curvatures in the roof. It makes it look almost swimming pool like. Would you agree?

I know from first hand experience a number of Chinese people are very wary of taking a hi-speed train in China. This was following the the fatal Wenzhou train crash in Zhejiang province in July 2011 that killed 40 people and injured 192. There was a palpable sense of anger at the time especially when people learned the carriages were buried without investigation.

I remember one young Chinese man at the time was practising his English.He humourously said - and I quote:

If I drink milk in China I will die
If I eat in a restaurant in China I will die
If I take the train in China I will die!

A bit more detail from the China Daily: A non-stop trip between the Guangzhou South Station and the Shenzhen North Station will take 35 minutes at full speed, 34 minutes faster than the 139-km rail link between the Guangzhou East Station and Luohu Station in Shenzhen, according to the Guangzhou Railway Group Corp. The trains will run at a maximum hourly speed of 300 km initially.

A one-way first-class ticket costs 100 yuan (£10.10 $15.87) and a second-class one, 75 yuan. The latter fare is 5 yuan cheaper than a second-class ticket on the slower line.

Also, in 20115 this line will link up with Hong Kong.