Travelling by Train

Find the right train and its departure time

It all turns into the question: Can you read the timetable? If not, get someone to help you. You need to know at least a few Chinese characters, the city names you go from and to, to find anything at all. You should also know Chinese geography and be able to interpret the sketch maps in the timetable. The timetable is not ordered by line, but by train route. Thus, sometimes all the trains on one line may be spread over many pages. The timetable is not true, either. Some trains may be canceled, some may run every second day, and there are definitely extra trains, the local ones, stopping at every station. (But some of these run quite long distances!). If you do not read at least a little Chinese, get help.

A dangerous time is to travel around 21 October, as this is the typical date for timetable changes.

The fight to get a ticket

Your first task is to get a ticket. In small stations this is not a big problem. Queues are short, and there are only one or two counters. Often someone will be helpful.

The trouble is with large stations. There is a huge crowd, and there may be 20 counters. The trouble is that some of these counters may not sell tickets in your direction. The easiest is to ask the people crowding around, and see where they push you. Push they do. There may be a huge crowd. European queue discipline is something unknown to Chinese. The strongest first! You definitely have an advantage as a European, being one head longer than the Chinese, and probably a bit broader. Everyone is pushing along. Even if you are first in the line, just in front of the counter, people will come from left and right and try to buy tickets before you get yours. Getting in front of a foreigner is like winning an extra hard fight, wining and extra good prize, so some people make a sport of it. Push them away and get your ticket.

Oh yes, where is the counter? Probably not in the station itself. It may be another entrance, it may be outside the station, and it may be in a neighbor house round the corner. Ask for it: "Mai piao zai nar?"

Then how to get the right ticket? Be prepared. Mark up the train in your timetable, show the timetable to the clerk. Ask for the class (Yingzuo,), Today is "Jintian", tomorrow is "mingtian" day after tomorrow is "houtian". You may also say the date, in that case you should know to count in Chinese. The trouble starts when you get the answer "Mei you". This is probably the first Chinese phrase you have learnt, it means everything like "No", "I do not want", "I cannot", and here it means "Sorry, not available". If so, have a prepared alternative train and ask for it, or a different class. Sometimes hard sleeper is not available, but either soft sleeper or hard seat is.

Then comes the money: Railway tickets are cheap. Travel over 50 km will cost less than 10 RMB. Buying railway tickets is a good way to get small change. You need small change for buying food, or paying taxis. If you don't have small change, the seller may pretend not to be able to change. But at the ticket counter they ALWAYS have change. Thus you pay with 50 or 100 RMB notes.

Most tickets nowadays are computer printed, but some small stations may still have Edmonsons tickets. Sometimes, especially for small distances, the ticket may show a different station than you want to go to. In that case they do not have a ticket with your station, but the price is the same. Try to check your ticket, if it is for the right train and class and date, before you leave. Other people will try to buy tickets to your right and left, just do not leave the place - yet. If it looks all right, then it is nice.

What about changing trains?

At large stations you may be able to get tickets for the next train, at smaller stations you do not get. In the worst case you buy it at the changing station or from the conductor of the next train.

The waiting hall

Now you have your ticket and want to proceed. Next station is the waiting hall. Make sure you are there at least 15 minutes before the train is scheduled to leave. The hurdle is baggage security control. Your baggage is screened, just like in an airport. The screening machines never destroyed my films, so they seem safe in that way. However, if you are in a hurry, the policeman may just wave you through.

The waiting hall is, what the word says, a large hall for waiting. Look for a sign near the exit showing your train number. Often, chairs are in long rows, and then there is one row for every train. It may be difficult to get out of a row after first entering, when the crowd is pushing around.

Most waiting halls are full of shops. Thus, if you need anything for your travel, you find it here. Phone cards for public phones, soda, beer, biscuits, cakes, fruit, toilet paper, matches, soap, a bag, cup, thermos bottle, you find all of it here. However, most of the food you will also find on the train and the price is not much different.

Some stations have a left luggage office: "Xingli chuju" You may leave your bags here for some 2 to 4 RMB. Make sure you ask if they are open when you want to return.

If you have a soft sleeper ticket, there may be a special waiting hall for you, with few comfortable chairs and few people. Some stations also have special waiting halls, equipped with a TV, or free tea, or warmed up. These you can use for a small fee like 1-3 RMB.

Shortly before arrival, or even after arrival of your train, they open the gate, and then people are storming the train! No queue culture. Everyone is shoving, pushing; Often I have found some friendly railway person or policeman will let you through a different gate and pass the crowd. You show your ticket at the gate. If you are late and have no ticket, they will often just let you through.

At the platform

To find the platform, follow the crowd or the signs. You will see many people running. In hard seat, most trains have no place tickets, i.e. free seating. The one who comes first gets the best place. But even if you have a seat assigned, you may find someone on your seat. Anyway, take it easy. If the train is not overcrowded, or you have a sleeper or soft seat ticket, there is no need to hurry.

If there are two trains at your platform, look at the destination plates. They are fixed in the middle of every car below the windows, and in most cases show the start and end station not only in Chinese, but also in Pinyin. The cars are numbered. Conductors will guard every door and look at your ticket. Figure out which car you have.

If you want to upgrade your ticket, you may try to do so in the first hard seat car besides the dining car. This is there the chief conductor has his place. He sells out any left over sleeping places. If there is a crowd here, you may again need to fight to get through. The strongest gets the best ticket?

If you have no ticket, either because you had no time to buy, or because it was sold out, and they have let you through until the platform, you should search for this car and enter here. Most other conductors will not let you in. (However, I once traveled a whole day without a ticket for the correct train. All conductors but one would not let me in. I had a sleeper ticket - for the day after, but this day was completely sold out. Obviously the train was full. I sat in the dining car, had one beer or soda after the other, took all meals there, and got all the way from Lanzhou to Jiayuguan. - The trick may work when trains are full.). If you find a place in the soft seat car, the conductor will sell you the upgrade at your place.

Departure: Be aware in small stations: If everyone is on board, they may start the train before scheduled departure time. So when the train arrives, you get on board immediately!

China Highlights ZhangjiajieTransportation Guide : information on travel to Zhangjiajieby air , by train , by coach and the local transport like bus, taxi, cruise ship.