LAST month's fatal high-speed train crash has shaken the country, not only because of the life but also the delayed and unclear explanations of the tragedy. All of this has undermined people's confidence in the rail system.

Bai Ruoxue stands in line at the bus station of Fuzhou, capital city of Fujian Province, waiting to buy a ticket to her hometown of Zhaoan, in the southernmost part of the province. She decided to take the bus, though it takes three hours longer than the bullet train.

"I always used to take the train," said the 20-year-old college student. "I thought trains were safe and fast." But after the tragic train collision on July 23, Bai swore not to take bullet trains.

"My mom called me before I came here and told me that if I had to take the bullet train, just let her know, so she could burn incense and pray," Bai said.

Fuzhou was the destination for trains D301 and D3115, the two trains involved in the accident in which 40 people perished.

Casual observation of a passing bullet train in the area reveals that it's not yet business as usual.

On July 27, a journalist with the Jiefang Daily reported a half-empty train heading from Shanghai to Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, where the crash occurred.

"Many of the carriages had just two or three passengers," said the reporter, Zhu Chen.

But Wang Ting, a publicity official for the Fuzhou Railway Station, said the number of passengers began to rebound in the last couple of days, and even suggested that the number of passengers was about the same as before the accident, though she said regulations prohibited her from disclosing the numbers.

Some passengers complained that they have no choice but to take the train. "I'd rather not take the train, but I certainly can't quit my job," said Zhang Xiang in Fuzhou, who works in Ningbo City in Zhejiang. "I was afraid during the ride and dared not close my eyes to sleep," he said.

'Brother safety'

A photo forwarded by Internet users on China's most popular microblog website, weibo.com, captioned "brother safety," showed a man in Shanghai wearing a helmet and seat belt while on the bullet train. He holds a first-aid kit, containing medicine, a powder from contusions and a flashlight.

Of course, most people recognized the humor of the photo, but nonetheless, some people readily admit that the train crash has changed their habits.

Many now board trains somberly, no longer taking their safety for granted. A college student in Zhejiang surnamed Zhang said that since the accident he remains in contact with his family while on the train.

"Now I send a text message to my parents when I get on the train and tell them the train's number, and when I arrive I let them know I made it safely," he said.

Zhang isn't alone in taking these steps. A Xinhua reporter at Fuzhou railway station witnessed many passengers calling their families to tell them their train number and which carriage they were assigned. Some even took photos of their tickets and sent it to their relatives.

Trains are the primary mode of transport in China, according to a research by the China Youth Daily in 2009. More than 80 percent of the 3,000 respondents said trains were "cheaper, safer and faster."

The development of China's high-speed railways surged after the State Council created a medium- and long-term development plan for the country's railway network in 2004. Train speeds have increased significantly since then, with bullet trains being put into use on major railways.

By the end of 2010, 8,358 kilometers of high-speed railways had been put into operation, ranking first in the world in terms of length. According to the railway development plan revised in 2008, China will have 13,000 km by 2010 and 16,000 km by 2020. China announced its ambition to carry 1.9 billion passengers in 2011, during the National Railway Work Conference in January.

Peng Qiyuan, head of the School of Traffic and Logistics at Southwest Jiaotong University, said bullet trains are generally safe in terms of design.

"A train should be equipped with a detector that can automatically check the signal in front," he said. "Two trains should be kept strictly 7,000 to 8,000 meters apart."

Not just speed

Ma Guanghai, a professor with the School of Philosophy and Social Development, understands people's panic. "Bus accidents are frequently reported, and airplane accidents are hard to escape, so as a result, people like to take trains," he said.

Ma said the accident on July 23 seriously undermined people's confidence, especially at a time when many of the new Beijing-Shanghai high-speed trains have been late and online communication spreads information quickly.

Premier Wen Jiabao said recently that the only way to win the trust of foreign countries and buyers is to make safety the No. 1 priority for China's high-speed railways.

"High-speed railway development should integrate speed, quality, efficiency and safety, and safety should be put in first place," he said.

But Wang said people want to see real change -not pledges and platitudes. "We need to improve the management level and facilities to convince the passengers that trains are still reliable," he said.

Meanwhile, he said the railway authority should change its attitude toward the public.

When asked about the controversial over initially burying carriages that toppled off the elevated track, Wang Yongping, spokesman for China's Ministry of Railways, said the move was to facilitate rescue work, and added, "Whatever you think, I believe in it." His choice of words angered many people.

"Authorities should be more sincere and reflect on their mistakes to win forgiveness from the public," Wang said.

His view was shared by passengers. A man from a law firm in Beijing, who only identified himself as Liu, just bought an airline ticket to Jinan, capital of Shandong Province, although the journey by train would have only taken three hours.

"I would still take trains in the future," he said. "But only after a thorough check throughout the system and assurances that all loopholes are mended."