Traveling and touring by train in China is
probably easier than you think it is! Chinese trains are inexpensive,
punctual and a great way to see the country. Let’s look at travel by
train…. So if you want to have a economic China tour, the best transportation way is to take train.
The Trains – Domestic trains run by the China Railway are broken down into “classes” which vary by speed and service. A letter (C, D, G, Z, T & K) preceding the numbers indicate the type of train. The “G” trains are the fastest and normally only service two end-points with maybe a couple of intermediate stops. These are fast trains that run on the regular passenger tracks. "D" trains are next fastest while "T" trains are quite slow.
Unless you are into punishing yourself you will want to travel in a sleeping car, not by coach. Within the sleeping car category, there are three types of accommodations available: Hard Class, Soft Class and Deluxe Soft Class.
The Hard Class sleeper is where most Chinese travel. Each compartment has 6 bunks – three on each side. If you are unlucky enough to be assigned a top bunk let’s hope you aren’t claustrophobic as you will have only about 18 inches of vertical “space” to accommodate you (not to mention the effort and contortions required to get up there!). Something like what you would imagine a submarine crew would sleep in. The compartments are not enclosed, but are open to the aisle way, so are noisy. Across the aisle from the compartment is a single seat that folds down out of the wall. You can sit here (if it is available) but have to contend with a constant flow of passengers scraping by you. The dining car is not available to Hard Class passengers.
The Soft Class sleeper is where you will want to be. Each compartment has 4 beds – a lower and an upper on each side. There is an expansive window with a small table under it. Within the room and extending over the outer aisle way is an area to place your luggage. There is also space under the two lower bunks which everyone shares. Lower berth space is more expensive than upper berth space but it is worth the extra cost. Spending hours and hours in a windowless upper bed is not a great way to enjoy your affordable china tours.
You will have a variety of “roommates” and this can be fun and interesting. It is not uncommon to have English-speaking passengers (Chinese or foreigners) in these rooms. Or, you may sit in silence and just listen to their conversations in Chinese. Your compartment mates may be students, businessmen or a mother and child traveling of China. Since Soft Class is more expensive, the Chinese who travel this way tend to be better off than the average.
Soft-Class sleeping compartments may vary from the above. Some have no over-head storage at all and the under-bed storage is limited by a steel bed frame. In this case you get to sit on your bed with your luggage. Most do have storage, though.
Since it is uncomfortable spending hours sitting in the upper berth with no window to look out, it is customary for the upper-berth passengers to sit on the aisle-end of the lower berth during the day.
Deluxe Soft Sleepers are two-bed compartments. This is perfect for a traveling couple as you don’t have to share with others and you have a level of privacy you don’t get with the Soft Sleeper compartment. The Deluxe Soft Sleeper is usually more modern and may have an actual closet in which to hang things, a hotel-type safe and even in-room sink and toilet facilities – it all depends on the luck of the draw. Not all trains include Deluxe Soft Sleepers. Many “Z” trains do have these, but most “K” and “T” trains do not.
While China has an extensive rail system that interconnects all of the major cities, and while it is collectively known as “China Railway”, in reality each section between two connecting points (the origin and final destination cities) is operated by a different company. So the locomotives and passenger cars are of different colors based on the company. And the types and levels of service vary from company to company and train to train. The staffs of the train stations and of the trains themselves all wear a common China Railway uniform though. So while you might expect consistency from train to train, you will not get it.
The CRH system is independent from the normal trains. This is the new high-speed rail system being built in China. The railroad right-of-way is elevated whereas the regular trains are at ground level. The facilities for the CRH are first-rate – similar modern airports to shame. In some cases the CRH station is completely separate from the regular train stations (as in Guangzhou) and in other cases they are combining existing regular rail station with the CRH station. When this is done everything is modernized. With this, gone are the dark and dingy 1980’s stations. Everything is new and modern. You can have a comfortalbe private China tours by train.
The Trains – Domestic trains run by the China Railway are broken down into “classes” which vary by speed and service. A letter (C, D, G, Z, T & K) preceding the numbers indicate the type of train. The “G” trains are the fastest and normally only service two end-points with maybe a couple of intermediate stops. These are fast trains that run on the regular passenger tracks. "D" trains are next fastest while "T" trains are quite slow.
Unless you are into punishing yourself you will want to travel in a sleeping car, not by coach. Within the sleeping car category, there are three types of accommodations available: Hard Class, Soft Class and Deluxe Soft Class.
The Hard Class sleeper is where most Chinese travel. Each compartment has 6 bunks – three on each side. If you are unlucky enough to be assigned a top bunk let’s hope you aren’t claustrophobic as you will have only about 18 inches of vertical “space” to accommodate you (not to mention the effort and contortions required to get up there!). Something like what you would imagine a submarine crew would sleep in. The compartments are not enclosed, but are open to the aisle way, so are noisy. Across the aisle from the compartment is a single seat that folds down out of the wall. You can sit here (if it is available) but have to contend with a constant flow of passengers scraping by you. The dining car is not available to Hard Class passengers.
The Soft Class sleeper is where you will want to be. Each compartment has 4 beds – a lower and an upper on each side. There is an expansive window with a small table under it. Within the room and extending over the outer aisle way is an area to place your luggage. There is also space under the two lower bunks which everyone shares. Lower berth space is more expensive than upper berth space but it is worth the extra cost. Spending hours and hours in a windowless upper bed is not a great way to enjoy your affordable china tours.
You will have a variety of “roommates” and this can be fun and interesting. It is not uncommon to have English-speaking passengers (Chinese or foreigners) in these rooms. Or, you may sit in silence and just listen to their conversations in Chinese. Your compartment mates may be students, businessmen or a mother and child traveling of China. Since Soft Class is more expensive, the Chinese who travel this way tend to be better off than the average.
Soft-Class sleeping compartments may vary from the above. Some have no over-head storage at all and the under-bed storage is limited by a steel bed frame. In this case you get to sit on your bed with your luggage. Most do have storage, though.
Since it is uncomfortable spending hours sitting in the upper berth with no window to look out, it is customary for the upper-berth passengers to sit on the aisle-end of the lower berth during the day.
Deluxe Soft Sleepers are two-bed compartments. This is perfect for a traveling couple as you don’t have to share with others and you have a level of privacy you don’t get with the Soft Sleeper compartment. The Deluxe Soft Sleeper is usually more modern and may have an actual closet in which to hang things, a hotel-type safe and even in-room sink and toilet facilities – it all depends on the luck of the draw. Not all trains include Deluxe Soft Sleepers. Many “Z” trains do have these, but most “K” and “T” trains do not.
While China has an extensive rail system that interconnects all of the major cities, and while it is collectively known as “China Railway”, in reality each section between two connecting points (the origin and final destination cities) is operated by a different company. So the locomotives and passenger cars are of different colors based on the company. And the types and levels of service vary from company to company and train to train. The staffs of the train stations and of the trains themselves all wear a common China Railway uniform though. So while you might expect consistency from train to train, you will not get it.
The CRH system is independent from the normal trains. This is the new high-speed rail system being built in China. The railroad right-of-way is elevated whereas the regular trains are at ground level. The facilities for the CRH are first-rate – similar modern airports to shame. In some cases the CRH station is completely separate from the regular train stations (as in Guangzhou) and in other cases they are combining existing regular rail station with the CRH station. When this is done everything is modernized. With this, gone are the dark and dingy 1980’s stations. Everything is new and modern. You can have a comfortalbe private China tours by train.
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