As the Harmony Express pulls into the grimy railway station in China's ancient capital of Xi'an, an army of blue-uniformed attendants busily begin polishing its gleaming, sleek exterior.
This is the face of modern rail in China and the latest addition to a burgeoning high-speed network that will be the biggest in the world within five years, according to the government's blueprint.
The expansion plans are staggering: 30,000km of new track to be laid by the middle of the decade at a cost of as much as Rmb4,000bn ($586bn). The results are so impressive that the airline sector is looking on with trepidation.
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