| Hi,this is a very nice site.Thanks JSW.I am from the UK and have travelled on the Z trains and T trains between Beijing and Shanghai, also on K, D(Bullet) trains and plain number trains. There are about 10 a day listed..I have a few points to make.1) Before asking a question, why not scroll up and down this blog, because many of the questions being repeatedly asked are already answered.Example:the Beijing Shanghai fares! 2) If you are travelling soft sleeper,there is not much difference between Z and T, once you are in your compartment, and every time I have travelled, the compartment has been spotlessly clean. 3) what has not been mentioned is that the BJ/SH sleeper trains depart and arrive at convenient times for passengers to have some dinner aboard, watch a little tv,get a good night's sleep and have a wash and if they like, breakfast before arrival. That is why there are several around 7pm that arrive around 7am. They are quite capable of going faster, (and some do during the daytime), but who wants to be arriving in the middle of the night? 4) Some Z trains serve a free dinner in your compartment.I know the Z13/14 do, and there are free snacks already on the table when you enter.4) Someone said better stick to the western meals in the dining car. Well, many of the people asking questions here are from other Asian countries, and might like to try western food. Hahaha, But not surprisingly, most Chinese cooks seem better at Chinese food, and that is good on the train too.) 5) As has been said above several times,the compartments DO lock, but don't try calling an attendant before the train departs, because they are busy getting people into their compartments.6) Someone said they saw extra people crowding into a compartment.Not true. Passenger seats/berths are all reserved. What you probably saw was 'hard' berths, which have 6 beds, not 4, ( and are not really hard either!) 7) Someone asked whether a passport is needed to book a ticket. The answer is no, but you may be asked for it so the ticket seller can copy your name from it, instead of trying to guess what you are saying.8) Personal safety on Chinese trains. China is one of most crime-free countries in the world.There is no problem sharing a softsleeper compartment with others.No-one will steal your bags,and it is perfectly safe for a woman to travel on her own.Don't forget, the authorities know who bought the tickets for all the passengers. Just take the usual sensible precautions.You can put your valuables out of sight in your pocket, or under your pillow.If you go to the dining car, take them with you. 9) Buying train tickets.The only way to buy them outside China is through agents who don't do it for free. Some are very expensive. If you are staying at a hotel, you can ask them to buy your tickets. There will be a modest fee for delivery.however, it is easy to buy your own tickets too.At Beijing Railway Station and Beijing West Railway Station there are still special 'foreigner' counters with staff who speak English and some other languages.If you can't find the place, ask at the duty station master desk which is just inside the station.They speak English too. Of course, if you get someone to write down the details,you can do what I do and join the shortest queue at the ordinary ticket windows.10) If you want to know about trains to/from Hongkong to Beijing and Shanghai, you can find the official information here. http://www.it3.mtr.com.hk/b2c/frmIndex.asp?strLang=Eng 11) Someone asked about a reasonable central hotel in Beijing. I can recommend the Harmony Hotel. It is in a sidestreet not more than 100 metres from the front of Beijing Railway Station,and less than 50m from the subway.Cost is aaround $45 USD for a standard room that is quite big and well-equipped. Most staff speak good English.You can find it and book it on line through many agents. Here is one. http://www.asiahotels.com/hotelinfo/Harmony_Hotel_Beijing/ 12)Someone asked about a quick trip to the Great Wall on a short visit to Bejing.That is an easy one. There are lots of buses going to the Grat Wall at Badaling all the time.Bus time is about 1 each way.You can catch a local bus there from about 200m to the right of Beijing Railway Station.It says Badaling on the front in English and Chinese,and there are 'barkers' trying to fill up the buses.It only cost about US$2 fare, and stops as near as is allowed to the entrance of Great Wall, where there are lots of souvenir shops.There is a nice museum too.Other than that, the hotels such as the Harmony mentioned above, can all get you on a trip at short notice.If there are two or three of you, you could take a taxi, but agree the fare before you start,or get it from a hotel too A couple of hours on the wall is enough for most.You don't need a guide. 13)Lastly, someone asked about the January temperature in Beijing and Shanghai.Beijing is COLD!..down to -17C at night . you can look here. http://www.travelchinaguide.com/climate/beijing.htm Shanghai is warmer. around freezing at night,and cool 9/10C high, during the day.Look here http://www.travelchinaguide.com/climate/shanghai.htm You can find most other chinese cities through the above links. Now I have to get on with booking my ticket from Birmingham UK to Bejing for the last week in January.Then it will be the Z61 for the 1003 km north to Changchun(Soft Sleeper RMB352) 352...even colder than Beijing .. and after a week or so in Changchun, I will take a train further about 250km to Harbin for the Ice Festival....even colder.The K9 train takes something less than 3hours, for only RMB57 soft seat, or I may take the Changchun built D25 Bullet Train which takes just 1hr46min for RMB97. Hope some of this is useful to someone. |
Train from Beijing to Shanghai