(Xinhua Photo)

Recent reports on the 15-yuan meal boxes, which should have been available 24x7 on all high-speed and bullet trains selling out on a high-speed train from Nanjing to Shanghai within 10 minutes of its departure, triggered heated discussion among Chinese netizens. But do you know the cost of the packaged meals on high-speed trains, why the 40-yuan meal boxes are recommended to passengers at first and what proportions the differently priced meals make up of the available total on trains?

From Feb. 2, two new kinds of meals, an eight-yuan sandwich and a six-yuan meat roll, were launched on trains administrated by Shanghai Railway Bureau. Sales of sandwiches accounted for 54 percent of toal supply the first day, while the meat roll took sales up to 74 percent. The highly-controversial 15 and 40-yuan meals were sold 12,052 and 12,919 times respectively. The cost of producing the 15-yuan meal is nine yuan.

"We have done market research for a long time and find out that most passengers prefer the 40-yuan packaged meal, with meat, beef, shrimp or ribs. They sell relatively better", said Pan Qiang, deputy GM of Shanghai Huatie Railway Passenger Service Co.

In order to meet the demands of different people, a 28-yuan vegetable meal and a 60-yuan meal have been newly added.

(File Photo)

We have a data platform and it shows the distribution of passengers on each railway line and sales of packaged meals, according to Pan.

"For example, we will provide more meals with lower prices on the trains to Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan due to the influx of passengers returning home for Spring Festival. While on the trains along the coastal areas and heading for Beijing, we will lower the ratio of the 15-yuan meals since most of the passengers travel for business,” Pan added.

This Spring Festival holiday will see at least 2.91 billion people travel across the country in less than 40 days, with many of them using high-speed trains.