The National Development and Reform Commission issued a notice in January, stating that high-speed train ticket prices in southeastern coastal areas were to be adjusted on April 21, with some raised and some lowered. This is the first price adjustment since China Railway was granted the power to change prices, meaning that fare prices should now fluctuate in line with market principles. However, some netizens expressed concern that ticket prices might rocket and contended that any fare changes should follow legal provisions and policies. A lecturer at Beijing Jiaotong University, Zhao Jian, said that the moderate adjustment is based on construction and operating costs, but another rail expert Wang Mengshu described this as unreasonable because the firms should concentrate on increasing the number of passengers rather than hiking prices under the pretense of improving services.