And unlike elsewhere, where food prices are overseen by a local price supervisor, the prices of meals on trains are supervised by the railway authority.

The railway spokesman denied that the meals are priced high for profit.

"The catering service is offered as a basic service, not a pure business act that mainly looks for profit," he said. "We are currently speeding up the technical preparation for realizing the new plan ... to make it possible for passengers to order meals online as soon as possible."

The price of meals on bullet trains has been a heated topic in recent years. In 2015, the railway authority requested that all bullet trains make sure there are boxed lunches available at 15 yuan and bottle water for 2 yuan at all times, after it was criticized by passengers who thought 40 yuan for a boxed lunch was too much.

Others disagree with the criticism. Wu Qilun, a business and investment consultant, said the price range (between 40 and 65 yuan) matches the status of high-speed trains, which target middle-income and high-end customers.

An internet user on Sina Weibo, "Haozheng Liuzhen", said that the quality of the boxed lunches on trains, not the price, is the biggest problem.

"In Japan and Taiwan, boxed lunches on high-speed trains look good and taste good as well," the user wrote. "China Railway Corp should allow more private companies to enter the market and let the market decide how much the meals should cost."