Travel by train in China - Reisen mit dem Zug in China

Route network 2020.

The Travel by train in China has changed fundamentally since the first high-speed line opened in 2008. All cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants are connected to the railway network. Over 60% of the lines have two or more tracks, a good 70% are electrified. The new lines are laid out in standard gauge. Especially in the Manchuria lines built in Russian broad gauge or those preferred by the Japanese Cape Track were rebuilt.

General

The 20 km long narrow-gauge railway (芭蕉溝 - 石溪鐵路) on the Shixi – Huangcunjing (Sichuan) line will be the only remaining route in 2020 that will still be regularly used by steam locomotives. There are normal passenger and tourist trips.

The state-owned company, which has been operating as a private company since 2019 China Railways with 21 subsidiaries shows, in contrast to Deutsche Bahn, that it is possible to maintain efficient and punctual operation even with such a construction or to improve it considerably through rapid expansion. The railway police are based on the principles of the normal police (Public Security Bureau), but is fully financed by the railway administration.

Train stations

In larger cities, a forecourt of the main train station is always the local transport hub. The long-distance bus station is often not far. Especially the new train stations built for high-speed lines can be far outside. In newer stations, the signs are also consistently in English.

The construction of the sometimes gigantic, new train stations in large cities follows a certain pattern. There are security controls at the entrances. Before you are allowed on the platform, there is one more check. Please note: the platform is not the same as a “track.” That means that when two trains are waiting, you have to check which one is the right one. In the case of the upper classes, there is a conductress at the door to whom you show the card with the car number.

Usually there are two levels. On the upper floor there are more shops, waiting rooms, etc. There is usually an information desk in the middle of the hall on the ground floor. Foreign language skills are not expected. The numbered ticket offices (售票处 or 售票厅) are on the sides, sometimes in outbuildings. Almost every train station has luggage storage. There are also toilets, but whether you find them in the western style is a matter of luck (little men: 男, women: 女).

The large display boards display in both Chinese and Latin letters. In some train stations, the number of seats still available is also displayed. Announcements in English are becoming more common.

Outputs (出口) are almost always labeled according to the direction of the compass. It helps to memorize the corresponding characters: East = 东 or 東, West 西, North 北, South 南. They are often used to differentiate between train stations, e.g. in Dalian is the main train station Dàlián Zhàn (大連站) and the new north station for high-speed trains 15 km away Dàlián běi (大連北站). Platform is called 平台 (Píngtái).

Sometimes there is still Porter recognizable by red caps. You can pack up to eight pieces of luggage on a trolley for 20-50 元 and bring them to the train. An advantage for the traveler is that he can get to the train with the carrier before the actual opening time of the platform barrier and can get on in front of the crowds.

Officially applies to Luggage a size and weight restriction. It is not checked. There is the possibility of comparatively inexpensive luggage check-in. You always need them for pets and bicycles. These are to be packed in appropriate cardboard boxes.

Trains

tip

Everyone needs paper ... Because this is used up quickly in the train toilets, if available at all.

The toilets are almost always the "hole in the ground" in the hard classes. Targeting accuracy in a moving train is a matter of practice!

High-speed trains have the letters C, D, or G in front of their train number.

G (高速动车组): Long-distance connections with top speeds of up to 350 km / h.
D (城际动车组): Long and medium-haul connections up to 250 km / h. Run partly as night trains
C (动车组): “Commuter trains” between nearby cities at speeds of up to 200 km / h.

Normal trains have no or the letters Z, T, K, Y, K, S in front of their train number.

Z: Direct express trains (特快直达), almost exclusively sleeper / couchette cars; non-stop between big cities ø 120 km / h up to 160 km / h.
T: D trains (特快)
K: express trains (快速)
[without letters]: express trains (普快), if the four-digit train number starts with 1, 2, 4, 5. Numbers beginning 6-9 are regional trains “stopping at all intermediate stations” (普客).
Formerly L (临时客车; 临客) and Y (旅游), since 2015 train number K4001-K6998. Seasonal special, amplifier or tourist trains.
S: S-Bahn or local trains.

Price index of the basic price of the selected class is: slow train (普客): 100, express train (普快) 120, express trains type K, T, Z: 140. Air conditioning costs 25% surcharge. Minimum price 100 km, for sleeping cars 400 km 10 元. The basic kilometer price decreases as the length of the journey increases.

Dining car

In China there are still dining cars in long-distance trains in which real food is sold, not micro-corrugated plastic like in the “BordBistro.” In normal trains the dining car is in car 9, on high-speed trains in no. 4 or 5. The prices are a good twice as expensive like equivalent on the street.
The vendors coming through the train with carts have snacks or ready-made meals in a plastic cover.

There is boiling water for tea or instant noodles in every car. Avalanche vendors also sell small things on the platform.

High-speed lines

In the twelve years since the first high-speed rail link opened from Beijing to Tianjin 37,900 km of high-speed lines were put into operation by 2020.

Ticket purchase

A metropolitan train station ticket. Top line: card number (red, left,) right: platform number (here 7, 8)
2nd line (large): from 上海 / Shanghai, train number G27024, to 南京 / Nanking
3rd line: date, departure time; under “Nanking” 车 / wagon number and 号 / row seat
4th line: price (left), class (right)
5th / 6th Internal info line. The pixelated area contains the ID number and name of the passenger, which is also coded with the QR code.
(In the case of smaller stations, the platform number is not shown at the top right, but the wagon number, seat and class.)

Sleeping car ticket: 车 / wagon number and 号 / compartment, 上 / upper bunk.

No tickets for troublemakers

Much more perfidious than for the reissuing of tickets is the registration of passengers' names as part of the “social credit” system. A good 20 million citizens were simply not allowed to buy tickets in 2019 because they had become "suspicious", e.g. were in arrears with taxes, not kept their dog on a leash or smoked in the wrong place.

Usually, tickets were only sold for certain routes at ticket offices, which is clearly written. This is often still the case, since the central computer system was fully developed, you can get all cards at every counter in many places. There are also special counters for rebooking (换票) and / or refunds. In any case, it makes sense for foreigners to have friends write down the destination, train number and class in Chinese. The special desks for foreigners, where you can also expect English-speaking staff, are very helpful. This is almost always counter no. 2 (in Beijing main station no. 16). When booking, the general rule is that there is a specific train connection. The passport must always be presented when purchasing tickets and before boarding. Deciphering Western names on ID cards can take time. One is extremely picky when checking the match, special characters or hyphens cause difficulties. The same sequence must also be observed. E.g. not "Fritz Hinterhuber", but "Hinterhuber Friedrich Adolf Korbinian." Anyone who buys a ticket for others must also show their ID or a copy. Due to this precise recording, a replacement for lost tickets can easily be issued at the departure station. A 2% insurance premium is included in all fares.

Roughly speaking, high-speed trains are 2½ times more expensive than regular trains.

In many cities there are ticket offices in the city center away from the train station. A small surcharge per ticket is due here, 5-10 元. Agencies specializing in foreigners, on the other hand, reach out more or only sell the expensive classes at all.

This is becoming more and more common "Ticketless driving." You can access the automatic barrier by showing your ID. At the counter you get a printout of the details when you pay, but this is no longer a ticket in the true sense of the word.

The Ticket machines only recognize Chinese ID cards, so they are useless for tourists. The very latest models since 2019 also work with foreign passports, but still only have a Chinese interface.

Child discount are available as long as these are smaller than 120 cm. They travel for free without claiming a seat, or pay half the fare if they should have their own seat. If an adult is traveling with two children, a child ticket can be bought for one at half price, the second one is free. In the couchette car, children pay 75% of the normal price for their bunk. Children between 120-150 cm always need a children's ticket.

Platform tickets are available for 1-2 元. They have been abolished in the busy, large train stations in order not to impede the check-in even more.

Ticket sales are three-quarters or more over the Internet (12306.cn only 5 a.m.-11: 30 p.m. Beijing time) or smartphone apps. Since this is linked to an identity card to be verified (no special characters, exactly and completely in the order there), Chinese telephone number and payment by means of a Chinese bank card or AliPay etc., their use is cumbersome for tourists.

Reservations can be made, assuming knowledge of Chinese, on the national hotline Tel. 95105105. The ticket must then be picked up at a specific counter within 24 hours, stating the booking number, otherwise the booking will be forfeited.

High season: If you want to travel during the week of the Chinese New Year (mid-February) or the national holiday (October 1-3), you have to book well in advance. It feels like half of China is on the trains at these dates.
Summer holidays are mid-July to September. At the beginning and the end, especially students book out the cheap long-haul classes for trips home. Around the festival of the dead in early April and the dragon boat festival in June (5/5 of the Chinese calendar), more short vacationers are on the go.

It can be particularly frustrating for tourists who, for the reasons mentioned above, cannot use the Internet or vending machines that the advance booking period on the Internet is 30 days, but only 28 days at the counter. In the high season it can be that everything is already booked out. In order not to let the long goods in the queue be in vain, you should have informed yourself about alternatives. The women at the counter do not offer alternative trains on their own initiative.

Tibet: Rides on the Lhasa Railway, the highest railway line in the world, where the wagons are equipped with pressure equalization as in an airplane, requires a certain amount of planning. Foreigners need a special permit to visit Tibet, which is only granted if the tourist has booked a tour with an approved travel agency several weeks in advance (status since 2017). These are not priced below US $ 100 per day.

China Rail Pass

At the China Rail Pass it is a rechargeable, personalized prepaid card that does not bring any discounts and is route-specific. It saves time as there is no need to buy a ticket. All you have to do is place the chip card on the reader on the platform, but only for appropriately approved high-speed routes. There are two types: “Silver” for the 2nd class and “Gold” for the first. Available in some branches of the Bank of China for a minimum top-up of 30 元 300 or 500 元. These cards are linked to a Chinese bank account, making them useless for short-term visitors.

Beijing Tianjin Pass

This commuter-oriented offer allows a certain number of trips in the selected class by using a prepaid card. The saving is 5-15%, depending on the amount loaded. The validity is limited, any remaining credit expires.

Classes

The standard type 25T wagons, introduced in 1980, can travel long distances up to top speeds of 160 km / h.

Rail traffic in communist China is not a classless society, as there are up to seven classes.

High speed trains

Since the trains are on the move for a shorter time, there are fewer sleeping and couchette cars. In the open-plan cars with seats, these can all be turned so that all passengers are always seated in the direction of travel. Sleeper and couchette cars carry category D trains over long distances.

Smoking is generally prohibited on high-speed trains. In wagon no.5 there are wheelchair spaces and a charging station for electric wheelchairs.

Classes:

2nd class (二等座, Èrděngzuò) “Hard seat.” No longer a wooden bench class, but a normal seat that is comparable to the economy class on an airplane. However, the backrest is rigid so that it is "hard" to sit here after 5-6 hours at the latest. The cars have 2 3 seats, with seat numbers A, B, C, [aisle], D, F.
1. (一等座, Yīděngzuò) normal seat, which is comparable to 2nd class in the German ICE, but with more legroom The cars have 2 2 seats with seat numbers A, C, [aisle], D, F.
Business Class (特等座, Tèděng zuò, "Special class"), corresponds to business class on an airplane. Seating is a row with 3 seats with seat numbers A, C, [aisle], F. On all types G and D trains, only some type C. About twice as expensive as 2nd class.
VIP seats (商務座, Shangwuzuo), usually only about 10 seats available. Only on type G and D trains.
"Soft sleeper," (軟臥, Ruǎnwò; engl. “Soft sleeper”) with four plank beds in the compartment. Bed length 1.95 cm.
Only a few type D trains have the “soft deluxe sleeping car” with two beds and a sofa in the compartment and its own western toilet. The price is twice that of the soft sleeper.
The couchette car with beds arranged in the direction of travel is relatively new. Open corridor, but each bunk has a curtain.

Normal trains

Smoking is permitted in the passages between the wagons. The ticket is collected by the conductor in the sleeping car and returned shortly before arrival.

Classes:

2nd class “hard seat.” Five seats per row. Standing tickets are also sold at full price.
1st class “soft seat.” Four seats per row. Priced at 150% of the hard seat. Unfortunately not available on all trains.
The “hard sleeper” corresponds to the European couchette car with six flatbeds per compartment that has no door to the aisle. The loungers are only 1.80 m long. Bedding is provided. The upper bunk has only 65 cm of air, the bottom 95 cm. Earplugs are a useful accessory. The price for this is about double the 2nd class seats.
in the “soft sleeping car” there are four beds. You also get a door on the compartment. The price is around 50% higher than the hard one.

International connections

Beijing - Moscow: 6½ days.

Special conditions apply to cross-border trains. Tickets can be reserved up to 30 days in advance. At first, a deposit of at least 100 元 is due, the rest before collecting the ticket. The actual tickets are only issued one week before departure. Refunds up to 72 hours before departure are 80%. For short-term cancellations 80% for seats but only 20% for sleeping cars.

Cross-border fares to the former Soviet territory are calculated on the basis of a fixed price in Swiss francs, so they can fluctuate in local currency.

If you leave Beijing and have to check in your luggage / bike, you do so in the west wing of the station on the morning before the day of departure. Since customs are closed on weekends, luggage must be delivered on the Friday beforehand for departures on Monday.

Kazakhstan

Urumqi → Khorgos (霍爾果斯市) / Altynkol → Sultan only (= Astana), 2 per week, 26 hours
Ürümqi → Alashankou (阿拉山口) / Dostyk → Almaty, 1 per week, 23½ hours

People's Republic of Korea

Web links

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