R AIL IN CHINA
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Most high-speed trains have first and second class seats, both of which are air-conditioned and comfortable
So while the two-and-a-bit hour flight from Beijing
to Shanghai may sound preferable to a 4.5-hour journey by rail, when you factor in the very real chance of flight delays, it suddenly starts to look more appealing. As Business Traveller forum contributor AlanOrton1 said
in response to another member enquiring about the best domestic carrier from Hangzhou to Beijing: “I’d strongly suggest considering the high-speed train for this journey. While it might take five to six hours… I suspect it won’t be much longer in total travel time than time spent in the airport, on the plane, etc. Possibly quicker given the potential for [air-traffic control] delays.”
ABOVE: A high- speed train in China zips passengers to their destination
SEP T E M B ER 2 0 18
PRACTICAL MATTERS Unlike an internal flight, however, it’s inadvisable to book a journey via Chinese rail at the last minute: tickets on popular routes sell out way in advance. Tickets usually become available 60 to 30 days before departure, and can be booked online through travel agency Ctrip, which has a comprehensive English language site. The tickets can be delivered to a hotel – or any address in China – or picked up from the station (though language barriers can prove tricky in this scenario). Arrive there an hour before departure, to allow for queues and
security checks entering the train station, as China becomes more sensitive to terrorist threats. You’ll need your passport to collect and book any tickets. Most high-speed trains (those that begin with the
letter G or D) have first and second class seats, both of which are air-conditioned and comfortable. On some lines, there is also business class, which boasts leather chairs and LED TV screens, and is decked out more like a plane cabin. Prices vary between lines, but travelling from Beijing to Shanghai on the G5, for example, will cost US$86 in second class, US$147 in first class and US$275 in VIP, and will get you to the Paris of the Orient in 4 hours and 40 minutes. Flying that route, by comparison, costs about US$200 with China Eastern and takes two hours and 20 minutes… on paper. Normal trains are coded Z, T, K, L, Y or S, and are
usually cheaper, have squat toilets and ticket classes ranging from standing room (only issued when all other tickets have sold out; passengers literally have to stand in the aisles) and hard seat tickets (those with no cushioning and very vertical backs) to the deluxe sleeper cabin for just two people. Currently, much of China’s spider web of railroads
is little travelled by foreigners, but perhaps they are missing a trick. On a trip recently across southern China to Guilin, as I sat in VIP class, being served complimentary drinks and snacks while the train snaked through Guangxi’s lush landscapes of jade green mountains and rice paddies, I couldn’t imagine why anyone would choose to fly.
bus ine s s tr a v el ler .c om
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