Relatively recently, China launched new train, and our compatriots can only envy the passengers who travel in second-class carriages. Comfortable shelves, designated personal space and, most importantly, when moving along the car, some passengers do not touch the hanging legs of others.
Recently, the management of Shanghai Railways announced the official launch of a high-speed night train on the Beijing-Shanghai route. Considering the huge area of China, flights on ultra-long routes are in great demand there. The high-speed rail (HSR) distance between the two cities is 1,318 kilometers, and the new train takes just 12 hours.
The dimensions of this trainset have undergone some changes, in particular, the height of the cars has been increased and the sleeping places for passengers have been modified. Russian users social networks already managed to call the cars "reserved seat", only much more comfortable than domestic counterparts.
Indeed, all the shelves are installed in the direction of the train, in contrast to the usual transverse arrangement. Each passenger has a clearly marked personal space: regardless of the tier, there is a separate window, an adjustable orthopedic backrest, a table, a lamp and a socket for chargers. But the most convenient thing is that, if desired, any passenger can close himself from the annoying glances of those around him with a thick screen.
The volume of the new ultra-long-distance night train has been increased by 37% compared to the size of conventional passenger trains. Quantity seats– 880. The developers of this rolling stock have reduced vibration and optimized noise reduction. They claim that there is no more noise from this moving train than from a car on the track. Given the fact that the train is traveling at night, its speed has been reduced to 250 km/h.
There is such a cool blogger Kim Korshunov, he is also a columnist for the program "Miracle of Technology" on NTV, he is also the editor-in-chief of the website and channel of the same name onyoutube . He decided to travel from Shanghai to Beijing by train.
There were three options: either a super-fast train, which everyone probably saw in some programs. Or regular reserved seat, like ours, or a luxury version of the reserved seat (these are the newest trains, there are about a dozen of them for the whole of China).
Ticket price
The fastest option travels 1,500 km from Shanghai to Beijing in 4.3 hours. But a ticket costs about the same as a plane ticket. The most budget option costs about 2000 rubles. The cars there are almost exactly the same as ours. Well, the price, in fact, too.
The intermediate option, which Kim called "the coolest reserved seat in the world," costs about 6,000 rubles at the rate. Expensive, but there are a few points. Firstly, this is a suite (more on that below), and secondly, a ticket was bought on the day of departure, one can say an hour before departure (if you take it in advance, it will be cheaper, and if you use some benefits, even cheaper). Thirdly, such the train is coming just 11 hours. In our country, for comparison, the train would travel this distance in 16 or even 20 hours.
Separately, I want to say about the purchase of tickets. RZD is much more convenient. I went into the application, bought a ticket in 5 clicks and that's it. No paperwork, no lines, no cash.
Train
Outside, the train is very similar to our Sapsan. Well, in terms of speed, in fact, it is also about the same. Normal cruising speed is 120-160 km/h. There were 3 stops along the way.
From the side, the train seems to be double-decker, because the windows are in two rows, but in size it is about the same as a regular Russian single-decker car. There is no second floor, just the lower and upper passengers have their own small windows. With your own curtains. And in general, despite the fact that this is a reserved seat, personal space is separated as much as possible - more on that later.
In the wagon
As such, there are no carriages on the train. The whole train is a long "gut" without doors and vestibules, like ours. On the one hand, this is good, you can move around on the ride.
On the other hand, there is nowhere to smoke. If someone snores loudly or some child throws a tantrum, then it will be heard not only in one car. Also, the whole train will have to listen to the knocking of the doors to the toilet. And they knock. But it is noteworthy that they do not clap and, despite good sound insulation, there is silence in the whole train.
Guides and tea
When boarding the train, no one checks any documents, although then the conductor still passes through the train. I don’t know how many conductors for the whole train, but it seems that there is only one. That is, one conductor and 2 cleaners (yes, in China, a conductor and a cleaner are different people).
In addition to the fact that the absence a large number conductors - this is a reduction in costs, in principle they are not needed. But there is no one to order the other side of the seagulls, no one gives out cups for free. You also need to bring chess with you. No one sells cookies and newspapers, souvenirs and lottery tickets Same.
The restaurant car is just a counter where you can buy a local "Doshirak" and some garbage. But no tea, by the way.
The car has free drinking water. But it does not surprise us, we also have it.
Toilet
A toilet is like a toilet. Nothing special. There is no soul, if anyone is interested. Toilets are located in pairs, opposite each other. Toilets, of course, bio. Everything is clean, it smells nice (there is a hanging flavor like "Christmas tree").
A distinctive feature - in addition to small sinks in the toilet room itself, there are also sinks nearby. That is, if you just need a sink to wash yourself or wash something, you don’t need to occupy the toilet.
Space organization
As I said, the car is reserved seat, but all the time I want to call the seats compartments, because everyone has their own place. I would even say that this reserved seat provides much more privacy and convenience than our compartments.
Each place has its own curtain. You can close and no one will bother you.
Normal ladders lead to the second floor and no one will step on your bed, on your table and so on. And if the curtain is closed, then you won’t even notice that someone climbs or descends.
I am very pleased that all the seats are located along the car, and not across (hello, Russian Railways), so no one's legs stick out in the aisle. This is a really huge plus. Moreover, the seats are arranged in such a way that you can stretch out to your full height, more on that later. In general, you walk calmly, you don’t dodge your legs, you don’t smell other people’s socks, the passage turns out to be wide.
Personal space
Your place in the Chinese reserved seat is not just a place on a bench and a bunk - it's just a small room, albeit with a curtain instead of a door. The curtain, by the way, is very high quality and with magnets so that it does not open. In general, I must say that everything is done efficiently, reliably, powerfully. At least that's the impression.
Everyone has a table at their disposal (and on the second floor too!), everyone has personal lighting (German by the way from Schneider Electric), a spotlight for reading, a universal socket (American plug, European and USB), a mesh pocket and three hooks for clothes.
With hooks, however, a small embarrassment. Since all the hooks are above the bed, it will not work to hang a long coat or a fur coat - the floors will somehow lie on the bed and interfere.
As I said at the beginning, everyone has their own window. And each window has its own personal curtain. It's cool actually. Such a small corner. No need to fight with anyone and argue about whether to open the curtain or close it.
Bed
Let's start with the fact that all the places have already been filled (both above and below), there are slippers of different colors nearby (apparently, so that the neighbors do not confuse). The bag can be removed under the bed - half an elephant will fit there.
On the bed you can sit at the table. You can sit with your legs stretched out on the bed, leaning your head against the wall, on which a soft headrest is prudently made.
There are no mattresses in Chinese trains, instead of them something like a soft blanket, then a sheet, a blanket, a pillow. The pillow, by the way, is buckwheat.
The length of the bed is approximately 2.0 meters. And this, by the way, is surprising, because the average height of the Chinese is 165 cm for men and 155 for women (it seems that the new Russian Railways cars were made just according to Chinese standards, because an ordinary European does not fit there in any way).
In general, as you can see, Chinese new trains have both pluses and minuses. I like Russian Railways more in some things, but in terms of organizing personal space, Chinese cars are definitely better. Something like capsule hotels, only cooler. And one more thing: in some surprising way, the cars have a very smooth ride. No jerks, pitching, jerking and quiet.
How are you? Which wagons do you think are better: ours or Chinese?
In our opinion, the train is the best remedy movement in China. It's clean and pleasant for the most part. They go every day, with very rare exceptions. It is quite comfortable to be at the stations, and the employees of the railway are neatly dressed and friendly, however, like all Chinese. In addition, the train is a great way to get to know the country from the inside, just looking out the window at the passing landscapes, or talking to people. We were amazed at the sociability of the Chinese! Chinese trains There are different types, places can also be of different comfort. And now in more detail. This information will help you when planning independent travel across the sky.
Categories of Chinese trains
1. Type G trains — 高速 “G” Trains (High-Speed)
The fastest and fastest trains with the fewest stops, the most expensive. There are only seats here. And what's the point of doing recumbent, if it's only 5 hours to go?)) They accelerate to 350 km / h and more. For example, the distance Beijing-Shanghai such a train flies in 5 and a half hours and costs in this message from 550 yuan. Most high-speed train in the world - Shanghai Maglev, accelerated to 486 km / h!
2. Type C and D trains — 城际“C” Trains (Inter-City)动 “D” Trains
Type C train
Also very fast. They have slightly more stops and are slightly slower than Type G trains. They have both lying and sitting places. For example, the train travels the same distance Beijing-Shanghai in 8-9 hours and costs from 408 yuan.
3. Type Z trains — 直达 “Z” Trains (Direct)
Type Z train
High-speed trains connecting Beijing with others major cities countries. These trains are usually overnight and run non-stop. There are different places: seated, reserved seat, coupe. The Beijing-Xi'an distance travels in 11 hours and costs from 275 yuan.
4. Type T trains — 特快 “T” Trains (Express)
T-type train
Also regular trains. There are all types of places. Xi'an-Urumqi (2500 km) arrives in a little more than a day and costs from 280 yuan. These trains run all over the country.
5. Type K trains — 快 "K" Trains (Fast)
Type K train
Those are the ones we went to. They go a little slower than T-type trains. Usually the cars are red. There are also all types of places. Xian-Urumqi (2500 km) overcomes in a day and 10 hours and costs from 273 yuan. Late, sometimes by 10 minutes, sometimes by an hour….
6. No letter prefix — No Prefix (Common)
Trains with numbers without letter prefix
The slowest and therefore the cheapest type of train in China. But it is quite possible to go, as there is everything you need for your stay.
Types of carriages in Chinese trains
There are 4 types (classes) of wagons:
1. hard seat- analogue Russian train, that is, ordinary seating. Can shake the psyche of stress-resistant people. But ... it depends on how you treat it. If you like comfort, then ride in higher class carriages. The trick is that when the seats run out, at the box office they start selling tickets without a seat, i.e. standing. Our friend took such a ticket, and he has 2 days to go! But nothing, he returned alive and well))
Schematic map of Chinese railways
And finally, a little video about the new highway connecting Beijing and Guangzhou. It's already built!
We hope this article was helpful! If you have any questions, ask, we will try to answer.
Look around China and beyond.
Greetings, dear readers!
How many times have you traveled by train? Surely, many went to the resorts of the Black Sea, overcoming thousands of kilometers of railway tracks in a comfortable reserved seat car. And the smell of boiled eggs and fresh cucumber will undoubtedly take you to fabulous memories of a long-awaited vacation.
In our case, the rest was just as long-awaited, but the destination was Harbin, and the scene was . But on the way back we were already waiting for a reserved seat car, with its own unique surroundings. About everything in order. Our train departs in the direction of Manchuria-Harbin. Tuu-tuuuu, let's go!
Let's start with the fact that in the north of China they have not yet laid a high-speed railway. But all the trains following this direction are very worthy, clean and comfortable.
At the railway station, you are offered three categories of seats:
- seated car;
- Recumbent solid wagon;
- Recumbent soft car.
Since the path is not close at about 13:00, and upon arrival, not one free minute. We decided to take it there to rest and sleep. And on the way back “was not there” they took a reserved seat car.
The price varies greatly depending on the category. A sit-down car is very cheap even for long-distance destinations. Later we learned that the seats are soft chairs without reclining backs. So if you are used to moving long distances while sitting, this option is for you. I think we will try this “economy class” on our next trip.
Chinese compartment car
Here we are right there! We go in, looking for our compartment. I was so staring at everything around that I just flew the whole car and did not notice our seats. But it's not scary, tickets are on hand, so we'll all go to places. We open the door, places 7 and 5 (lower), go in and .... I can't believe my eyes, everything is very good! Clean linen is already made, a wonderful fresh smell, not a drop of tobacco smoke (this is unique in China), spacious and the sleeping place is much wider than in Russian carriages.
On the table is a liter thermos, still empty. The table is very small, of course you can’t eat chicken on this one! The maximum that fits on it is two cups of tea and two plates of instant noodles, such a “china-style”.
Also in the compartment there are hangers, a bunch of hooks for anything, disposable slippers, wi-fi and a Chinese radio. But this is a pleasure for amateurs, we had enough for 2 minutes of listening.
Having settled in, putting on white slippers, we set off to explore the expanses of the car. Visited the washroom for three persons. Not a very clean room, cold water, but a bonus - a huge mirror. This is a note to selfie lovers in unusual places.
The toilet room was pleased with the relative cleanliness and lack of smell inherent in this place.
Opposite the toilet room is another washbasin in which, next to it, there is a tank of boiling water. By the way, in China there is boiling water in all public places. Therefore, they always have a thermos of tea with them. Such a culture!
Along the corridor of the compartment car, near the windows, there are comfortable folding seats where you can sit and think about everything, because there is more than a lot of time. And of course, there are 220 V sockets.
We traveled to Hailar alone, in a romantic atmosphere. But this is China, there are still not enough people to enjoy loneliness. In Hailar, the sweetest adult Chinese couple sat down with us. A very pleasant woman and an interesting talkative man.
Here the most interesting began! As you already know, we have been living in Manchuria for quite a long time and this city borders on Russia. Many Chinese know Russian to one degree or another, so it is extremely difficult to put their knowledge of the language into practice. Since, if you start speaking Chinese, and the Chinese do not understand the first time, then it is easier for them to switch to Russian. This is where the whole practice of the language ends. But here is another matter, our neighbors in the compartment absolutely do not understand Russian. And this is in our favor - a great opportunity in an emergency to activate all our knowledge. It was incredibly interesting for us, because if the first time we did not understand, then we were repeated again and again until we fully understood. We also had the opportunity to repeat everything in several interpretations, pronouncing the correct tone, observing all the rules for pronouncing sounds, and we were understood. It's amazing to know that your training was not in vain, and you can speak and understand what is being said.
In the course of the conversation, it turned out that our fellow travelers had been to Russia and they liked our country (all Chinese like Russian open spaces). This wonderful married couple owns 4 hotels that are scattered all over China, from Hailar and Beijing to the Chinese coast. The hotels have the style of such nice cozy villas, with lots of parks and fountains in oriental style. They promoted us these havens of travelers in all their glory.
Probably, you, like us then, are wondering: what do such wealthy gentlemen do on the train? After all, the plane is a much more comfortable way to travel.
Despite financial well-being and accessibility to all the benefits of civilization, people may have problems that are not so easy to solve. A talkative man has two ailments: fear of heights (acrophobia) and fear of enclosed spaces (claustrophobia). So they travel thousands of miles by train, monitoring their hotels as needed. Now it became clear to us why the man often went out into the corridor without the addiction of smoking.
The night came unnoticed. The voices subsided, the corridor was empty, everyone dispersed to their shelves, the lights went out. Only the rhythmic clatter of the wheels lulled me to sleep, but prevented Artyom from falling asleep. The stoker fired up the train's stove. Dry air entered the lungs with a whistle and came out of them with a heavy pressure. Lounging on a spacious bunk like a starfish, wrapped in a light padding blanket like the foam of salty waves, I peacefully plunged into the deepest sleep.
Chinese reserved seat car
After a fast-flying journey, we again went to the station. But now we had to spend the evening and night in a spacious six-seater section. Yes, yes, that's right. In each section of the reserved seat car there are three sleeping shelves on each side, for a total of six seats. Where there is a luggage rack in Russian trains, here is the third level. But a free corridor, the same as in the compartment car. And instead of side shelves, folding seats.
Having flown first into the car, we found our seats, or rather the number of sections 3 - 4. And we were pleasantly surprised that the section was closed. Now I will explain. Everything looks the same as in an ordinary compartment, with the only difference that there is no door, but there are walls that isolate from the corridor. It's brilliant! Moving around the car, you do not need to hold your breath passing by the "fragrant" legs of passengers who, like zombies from horror films, pounce on you from every corner. The same wide berths, a made bed and the same table as in the compartment.
The restroom is made in the traditional railway style, it seems to me that for public places this is the perfect “hole in the floor”. Washrooms are ascetic and spacious.
The corridor is just as spacious and lively, because the necessary energy resources are located in the walls in the form of 220 V sockets.
Of course, we are incredibly lucky with our neighbors. It was a young tall Asian in aristocratic glasses. A middle-aged woman who sat in the corridor until late at night. And a man who slept quietly all the way.
After busy days in Harbin, the train ride turned out to be a less useless pastime. As soon as I had the opportunity to lie down, I pulled the mask over my face and instantly passed out. I woke up only the next day in the morning, when we were already approaching Manchuria. I have never had to spend 13 hours so quickly and unconsciously.
I can summarize the following chinese wagon a decent way to travel at a minimal cost.
Travel on different vehicles, to different places, try new food, study the features of the territories you visit, always look at the world with a smile and joy.
All the best and happiness, your Alena A.
22.04.2019 , 10:30 19877
In the summer of 2017, a new type of second-class trains were launched in China, which successfully serve night route Beijing - Shanghai. These two-story trains with comfortable carriages and personal space for each passenger fell in love with both the Chinese and the guests of the Celestial Empire. 
To realize the most daring ideas of Chinese engineers, it was necessary to increase the internal volume of the train by 37% and raise the ceilings higher. 
The first thing that strikes in the new Chinese reserved seat is the absence of any division into wagons. Inside the train there is a long corridor along which you can walk from the head to the very tail of the train. The border between the cars is purely conditional - there are toilets, washstands, vending machines with free drinking water. And no vestibules familiar to us. 
The seats on the train are organized conveniently, each passenger is provided with a personal space. All shelves in the new reserved seat are located in the direction of the train, due to this the corridor seems more spacious than in the old type trains with a longitudinal-transverse arrangement of sofas. 
There are no luggage lockers under the lower shelves, but there is enough space for the heaviest bags and suitcases. Disposable slippers, environmentally friendly pillows with buckwheat filling, and a set of fresh bed linen are prepared for each passenger. A soft adjustable orthopedic backrest is screwed to the wall, which you can lean against to look out the window or read a book. 
Each passenger has his own closed table without drawers and shelves. From the side of the neighboring compartment, your table is a comfortable niche for legs. Such an innovative organization of space allowed, with invariably high level comfort increase the number of seats on the train to 880 units. 
A passenger can separate his seat from the corridor with a corrugated textile curtain and find himself in a cozy little room with individual lighting, clothes hangers, a USB connector and universal sockets that fit European, American and Chinese plugs. If desired, a personal window can be closed with a dense opaque curtain. 
In the corridor on the ceiling there are ring-shaped LED lamps, from which a soft, but quite bright light comes. At night, the lights are turned off, leaving only a yellowish night light built into the lower shelves. As for personal lamps, their light does not interfere with fellow travelers, because they are in the “right” place. 
Particularly noteworthy are the ladders along which you can climb to the top shelf. They consist of two deep metal steps recessed into the partition and a handy handrail, thanks to which the top passenger does not have to step on someone's feet, a dining table or bed linen. Everything is thought out to the smallest detail and made for the convenience of people. 
There is no conductor's compartment in sight. But there is a mini-bar with Chinese noodles and drinks. So the passengers of the train will definitely not remain hungry. By the way, noodles are a Chinese alternative to fried chicken, so popular on Russian trains. 
The train moves smoothly and almost silently. The level of noise and vibration in the car is comparable to that in the car. The distance between Shanghai and Beijing, equal to 1318 km, it overcomes in just 11 hours. It moves at a maximum speed of 250 km / h. 
The cost of tickets for this train is just over 6,000 rubles. This is the most expensive reserved seat that you can buy in China. However, if you book tickets in advance, you can buy them cheaper.
And you can see an overview of the new Russian Railways reserved seat cars.
