Taking the train in China?

[MN2China]

So my husband says taking the train in China is gross and that I wouldn't like it. He says it's dirty and smells really bad :x but I'm interested to know..for people who have taken the train in China, what is it like? Is it really that bad?

Edited December 16, 2011 by MN2China (see edit history)

[Beachey]

Really? You have to take it at least once just to understand what life is like for most Chinese. And I assume you are not talking about the bullet trains on the Chinese East Coast which are actually very nice and modern.

 

There are four classes of service on most Chinese Trains

 

Hard Seats - this is the cheapest and is very cheap, I would imagine it would be very crowded. I have never gone this way.

Soft Seats - Padded Seats similar to city to city bus seat. This is fine for trips up to six or so hours. Generally inexpensive.

 

Also keep in mind that they also sell standing room tickets in both these classes so there are people standing in the aisles. I have heard stories from friends of standing 24+ hours to get home for Spring Festival.

 

Hard Beds - this is a generally open car with aisles of beds in stacks of three. Six Beds to an aisle. Lower bed is more expensive than the middle is more expensive the the top. Not a lot of privacy but I have taken this on overnight trips. Think of it as summer camp.

Soft Beds - Individual compartments with a door and four beds - two up and two down. While this is expensive from a Chinese perspective, it typically is about half the cost of flying. I have gone as two couples and it it is relatively pleasant.

 

Generally there are no standing room passengers in these cars. Where this can be good is for a trip of 10-16 hours which typically leaves early evening and gets in early morning. I saves you a hotel room while giving you the full day. My wife hometown has very limited plane service so we have always taken the train. I generally get about six hours sleep.

 

It is still China so your husband is not wrong but I would try it at least once. It does help to have a Chinese speaker if you don't have aworking knowledge.

[Kyle]

I love taking the train in China. Well, to be honest "love" might be a little strong, but I do enjoy it. It's nice to leave at night and wake up at your destination. If you fly, you're wasting your awake time traveling. I have had some negative experiences on the train, but have also had them in a taxi and plane. I'd at least try it once so you can form your own conclusion.

[NickF]

I've ridden the train from Guangzhou a number of times. Ridden both "hard sleep" and "spft sleep" and have always enjoyed the trip. If you don't bring your own food (a common Chinese practice) you can either buy if from vendors who pass through the cars, or on the longer trips, use the dining car.

 

The food in the dining cars is surprisingly good, and prepared fresh to order. The only downside is that everybody ignores the no smoking signs.

 

I like riding Chinese trains, myself. On the other hand, if you're planning to ride during New Year the stations are total chaos. Like a rugby scrum, with out the care and restraint.

Edited December 16, 2011 by dnoblett (see edit history)

[tsap seui]

I missed (opted out of) my chance to ride a train in Chinertucky. We could have taken the short 30 hour ride down to Gaungzhou from Shenyang for our second interview. I thought and thought about it, listened to how pretty it was in the countryside, how bad the ca-ca smelled in the plugged up bathrooms, but the interview itself was enough stress, I would never have unwound and enjoyed the scenery. So, we took the 5 hour option, went down, met the Yangs once again, got out of the awful heat and humidity in an well air-conditioned apartment, and resumed work on grilling lil' rabbit and Fengqi...like the past 6 months of grilling hadn't been enough.

 

I'll bet it is pretty though. And that is all I'll ever do about it now, is bet that it is pretty and a cool experience, as the grilling and lady luck paid off and if'n we want to ride a train we have two old steamers within 25 miles of us that cruise around the mountains for a nominal fee. Really pretty in the fall with the colors, dramatic mountain views, and cinders blowin' in the wind. Jugga jugga jug jug......CHOO CHOO

 

tsap seui

 

I'm amazed at how much I've forgotten about my culmative year in Chinertucky with the many visits over those 5 grueling years, and I have searched and searched my memory banks to see if I left anything in ol' Chiner that I need to go get.

[dnoblett]

I mentioned taking the train once to my wife, and yep the common answer "too dirty".

 

Anyway may be up for the Beijing to Tibet train ride..

[HongKong2LA]

I've wanted to take the train but we always ended up flying to where we were going believing that it was the most efficient use of our always too short time together. Looking back now, that may have been a mistake. It is on the "to do" list of things for our future trips back to China though. That Beijing to Tibet route sounds interesting but longggggggg.

[dnoblett]

I've wanted to take the train but we always ended up flying to where we were going believing that it was the most efficient use of our always too short time together. Looking back now, that may have been a mistake. It is on the "to do" list of things for our future trips back to China though. That Beijing to Tibet route sounds interesting but longggggggg.

3 days (48 hours running think "Scenery") Cost for soft sleeper $158 per person.. 4000+ km.. highest train in the world peaking to 16,640 ft, (Yes they provide oxygen)

 

http://www.chinatibettrain.com/beijinglhasa.htm

 

http://www.budgettravel.com/feature/the-sky-train-to-tibet,2557/

[chilton747]

I have ridden several trains. The less modern trains can be as your husband describes, especially the restrooms. Of course the more modern trains are great. One thing I learned, when in China, do as your spouse says if you want to avoid trouble.

[HongKong2LA]

I've wanted to take the train but we always ended up flying to where we were going believing that it was the most efficient use of our always too short time together. Looking back now, that may have been a mistake. It is on the "to do" list of things for our future trips back to China though. That Beijing to Tibet route sounds interesting but longggggggg.

3 days (48 hours running think "Scenery") Cost for soft sleeper $158 per person.. 4000+ km.. highest train in the world peaking to 16,640 ft, (Yes they provide oxygen)

 

http://www.chinatibettrain.com/beijinglhasa.htm

 

http://www.budgettravel.com/feature/the-sky-train-to-tibet,2557/

 

wow...that's a bargain and I bet you run through some beautiful country...

[honeybun]

Like others have said, I think you should go just for the experience. I've gone many times in "hard bed," mostly for ~17-25hr trips. The beds are actually not hard and are set up just as Beachey described. You'll meet interesting people from all walks of life, and it is close proximity for an extended period of time which encourages interaction.

 

One of the first times I took a train in China was back before they were all air-conditioned. It was mid-June and I would estimate the temperature inside was about 110degrees. My clothes were saturated in sweat and after about an hour I thought I would vomit. Eventually I think we all got acclimated to it somewhat, and of course it cooled down at night. You wouldn't have to worry about that now as I believe all trains are air conditioned.

 

The first time I ever glanced into the "hard seat" section of a train, I saw people crammed in like cattle in the blistering heat. I saw about 30 faces staring back at me and their expressions made me feel quite intimidated and out-of-place. Years later (and in the wintertime) I took an overnight trip in hardseat and felt totally normal; my expectations based on that brief glance were way off. You sit three-to-a-row, facing another three people with a small table by the window. You might meet some people that you would be very unlikely to meet otherwise. (they may be rude, they may be exceptionally nice -- luck of the draw!) As was mentioned, people can buy standing tickets, and they'll end up lying down in the aisles at nighttime, and may even steal your seat if you get up to use the restroom.

 

I've had bad experiences on trains, but I have always enjoyed each overall trip. The bathrooms can be a bit unclean; just bring your own tissues, soap, towels, etc. to clean yourself up. Enjoy an interesting experience that is a typical part of life for many, many Chinese, and get a nice shower when you get home. The dirt will wash off but you'll always have your memories and perhaps even a few more friends strewn across the country.

[NickF]

Well said. Traveled on the day train from Guilin to Nanning during New Year a copuple of years ago. We traveled hard seat. Crowded, but met some interesting and very nice people. And the scenery on that route is spectacular.

[Zhou Zhou]

Well said. Traveled on the day train from Guilin to Nanning during New Year a copuple of years ago. We traveled hard seat. Crowded, but met some interesting and very nice people. And the scenery on that route is spectacular.

We also took the Nanning to Guilin train several years back. Like you said the scenery was great and we averaged 17 buffalo per mile. We also went from Xi'an to Lhasa by train. It was amazing scenery with a couple kinds of antelopes and Yaks every where. There was a lot of water and the main highway was flooded out and trucks were backed up for 5 miles. The cost for the 34 hour trip was about a hundred bucks for hard sleeper. My advice is to get your tickets early if you want the soft and to be in the same compartment with your wife/so/gf. I thought Lhasa was one of the worst places I had ever been, but I've only been to 30 countries.

Edited December 17, 2011 by Zhou Zhou (see edit history)

[Ryan H]

I took an overnight soft sleeper from Beijing to Xi'an. At first, I was wishing I had just taken an airplane. My wife (GF at the time) was not able to travel with me, the other people in the compartment were nice (although they spoke zero English), and I couldn't fall asleep and was thinking I would be awake the whole trip. However, I did eventually get some sleep, and when the trip was finally over, I was glad that I had this experience.

 

This past February, my wife and I took one of the modern high-speed trains from Wuhan to her hometown and then from her hometown to an intermediate destination before we flew back to Beijing. I enjoyed the trip from Wuhan to her hometown, the trip from her hometown was not bad (just a little more crowded).

[dan1984]

I enjoy the train! Like was said, I've had a couple bad experiences, but I've had way more bad experiences with unfriendly taxi drivers, drunken subway riders, and people looking to start fights in restaurants.

 

Taking the train is cheap, an experience, and a way to slowly meander through the countryside - yes, a bit of an idealistic description, but, I enjoy it, and take the train whenever time permits, which has been maybe 20 times or so thus far...