This year for Golden Week I decided to make my way to China. I did a round trip from Beijing to Shanghai, because after living in Japan and having fun on the overnight train in Thailand I’ve actually come to enjoy trains. In China, I decided to try out the new High Speed Train.
Shanghai’s railway station. Luckily, it seems that all the train stations have the same layout so it’s easy to get around.
Train from Beijing to Shanghai
The ride between Beijing and Shanghai varies between 4-5 hours, and taking the HS Train was nice and smooth. At first I wanted to try the business class (one-way), just because the chairs looked cool but they were all booked up. So I opted to go first class just to treat myself, but sadly it seemed like there’s probably no real difference in comparison to riding second class except in terms of pricing.
Seats of first class. But honestly, it looked no different than 2nd class.
There was a lot of leg room but services provided were very minimal from what I thought (and read) that would be offered in “first class”. That being said, I wonder what business class REALLY had to offer. So, if you’re thinking about buying a ticket here are a few marketing corrections that need to be addressed (and or updated) on the website:
1. Snacks & Drinks: When first arriving on the train a stewardess will come by, and you are given: a drink (orange juice or water); and a small airplane-like mix snack bag. And that is it, whereas the website states unlimited drinks. There is a tap for hot water, so I assume their idea of limited drinks would be unlimited hot water for BYOT (bring-your-own-tea).
*Note: Coffee is available @15RMB
2. No meals: On the website it says that a free meal is provided for VIP* (which includes both business & first class riders), but there is none. I was shown a menu, and if you want a meal it’s around 50RMB. Feel free to bring your own food and snacks, unless you want to check out the restaurant on board the train.
3. No WIFI: I’m not sure about business class, but there was not even a secure signal to be found in the first class cabin. Not sure of the business class cart.
- Boarding platform
Recommendation?
When taking China’s High Speed Train during the day (not the evening cart…I haven’t really experienced it), there doesn’t seem to be much difference in terms of what you get from first and second class.
Aside from price, the only few noticeable differences were:
1) A designated VIP ticket gate (for business & first class), so you can bypass the long lines of nudging of other passengers.
2) Second class may have more passengers depending on what part of the year you’re traveling.
3) 1 free snack pack & drink per route.
BC Roll in Japan 