I love trains - oh, the nostalgia! Although train travel has improved so much since my childhood, in terms of comfort and speed, there are fewer and fewer occasions to ride trains anymore. Air travel is much more convenient and faster, most of the time. Can you believe that I am yet to ride AMTRAK train anywhere in the U.S.? The closest I came to an AMTRAK station was some 20 years ago when I went to pick someone up. I did -and still do- ride BART, the Bay Area local trains, for many, many years, but that is not the same thing as long distance trains.
During my trips to India, I have managed to squeeze in a train travel here and there, including the famous Rajdhani Express between Mumbai and Delhi. Australia and Europe are two other places (continents, actually.) that would be fun to explore via trains - some day! (I did in Italy in 2013.)
I had heard a lot about China's super fast and bullet (Mag Lev) trains. In 2011, taking a 48 hour train ride from Beijing to Lhasa - which is an engineering feat in itself because of the length of track laid on permafrost, mountain passes rising to 17,000 ft, and oxygen pumped in to train cabins to avoid altitude sickness - would have been a fantastic experience. On my return trip, I was to take the train from Lhasa, down the Tibetan Plateau to LanZhou, GanSu - but then my plans changed.
Mag Lev trains run regularly between Beijing and Shanghai - may be some day! I did, however, manage to experience a short ride on Mag Lev train (30 km, 8 minutes) going at 300 km per hour -for what, a minute or two?- from Shanghai PVG airport to the city. See the green display showing time and speed in the picture below:
So (FINALLY!) during this trip, I decided to take the plunge and ride a super fast train from Beijing XiZhan (West Railway Station) to Nanchang. These trains are air-conditioned, with reserved seating or hard/soft sleepers. I had a choice of three super fast trains - all leaving between 7:30 and 8 PM from Beijing and reaching Nanchang the next morning between 7 and 8 am. The fastest one (Z65) had only one stop in between. The one I took, Z67, had three stops including Nanchang as the final stop. It covers 1449 KM in about 11 1/2 hours - not bad for business travelers who can finish their business during the day in Beijing, get a nice sleep on the train, and be back home/work the next morning. From Shanghai, the distance to Nanchang is 813 KM, which super fast trains cover in 6 1/2 hours.
The tricky part is to purchase train tickets from overseas. Chinese residents, using Chinese website in China can purchase tickets easily (usually 10 days in advance.) Trains are generally crowded so there are no guarantees of getting a ticket on the train of your choice or the ticket class. So you have to be flexible. I did get the lower berth of a soft sleeper on Z67, my second choice - that too because someone in Beijing purchased it for me. As it turned out, there were empty berths on my train, but that would be taking a huge chance! Some travel agents in Beijing can purchase tickets for you and deliver to your hotel for 35Y - not a bad alternative.
Thursday, November 1: Back to my story in Beijing: after getting off the bus in front of the train station, I found that the main entrance was barricaded for security reasons, and passengers were allowed to enter from the side - narrow gates wide enough for just one person through which you squeeze in your luggage, and have your ticket and ID (passport) checked. Escalator up one level brings you to this enormous lobby with waiting halls for each platform on either side. Large indicator showed each train and platform number. The lobby was crowded just like an airport, but much more noisy. I reached the waiting hall for my train - the place was packed. The indicator inside the hall listed next 2-3 trains, but ours was the next to board. I made it here on time - 45 minutes before departure. I checked with one of the attendants, who explained that boarding will begin in a couple of minutes and that I should stand in one of the many lines - there were 6-8 rows of people lined up to get on the train. Others were sitting around, possibly for the following trains.
Soon, they opened the gates and let people in after checking their tickets. Everyone was going in the same direction, through double doors, a long hallway, a bridge and then finally down an escalator on to the train platform. Everything was pretty orderly. The escalator landed near the middle of the 16-18 car train - smaller numbers going left, and larger to the right. At each car, an attendant (conductor?) was standing outside checking your tickets before boarding. Most people were going left, towards the front of the train -where unreserved and reserved seating was. It seemed that the attendants on that side were all males.
I could read three things on my ticket: Z67 was the train number, car # 12, and #3 berth/coupe - not sure which. I walked to my car to the right/back of the train, and noticed that very few passengers going that way. Attendants on this side - all females - were waiting for the few stragglers like me. The back of the train must be all sleepers, less crowded and therefore more manageable. Somehow, most other passengers were already on the train and settled in their berths.
At car #12, this smart, petite, young attendant was waiting. She had a book that looked like a business card holder with plastic slots. She checked my ticket, pulled out a card key from a slot and gave it to me. It had the same two numbers - 3 and 12 on them. She placed my ticket in that slot. I was expecting her to punch my ticket and return to me. Then, she explained something to me in Chinese, which I did not understand. Finally, she pointed me to board the train, and said something in English that I guessed (wrongly) meant "go to the 3rd coupe, berth number 12." Since each coupe has four berths - two lower and two upper, the lower being slightly more expensive - the 3rd coupe had berth #12, an upper right berth. So I went there.
Train designs look pretty much the same the world over. Services are also very similar. Your large luggage goes under the lower berth. For upper berths, there is a small storage space overhead. There is a reading light for each berth, small table at one end with a thermos with hot water. Bedding is provided. The door to the coupe can be closed and lights turned off at night. Just outside, there is the narrow passage for the entire length of each car. The train is connected from end to end; and there is a dining car in the middle. Just outside each coupe, folding seats are available in case you want to sit outside. It was already past dinner time, but next morning, I saw Dim Sum carts going through the train in case you wanted to purchase any breakfast.
I entered coupe #3. There was one man on lower left berth, and a woman, who was talking on the phone, on lower right. Top berths were empty - one being #12. I thought the man and the woman were together, but they weren't. I said hello to the man, and we became friends within minutes. We found so much to talk about - he spoke English, he had studied in the US, been to San Francisco, was working as a Civil Engineer/Manager in Beijing, was visiting his brother in Nanchang, and had traveled by this train many times.
First, he helped me with the logistics - my bag would not fit in the storage for the upper berth, and it wouldn't easily go under the lower berth either. When asked, the attendant suggested that I leave the bag in the hallway - and that it would be safe there. He didn't like the idea, so we managed to somehow push it under the lower berth. He explained that the attendant will return our tickets before we get off the train, in exchange for the card key. The original ticket is your proof of travel - the only way your employer will reimburse you for your expenses.
Right on time, the train started moving. The woman on the phone finished her conversation and said hello to me. That's when I realized that she was NOT with the man, as I had assumed. A few minutes later, the attendant came by and asked me why I wasn't in my correct spot - which was lower berth #3 in coupe #1. Through my interpreter friend, I found out that there was a couple who wanted the two empty berths in coupe #3, so it would be better if I went to my spot. I didn't care whether I had an upper berth or lower, and was happy to have someone to chat with where I was, but agreed to move to coupe #1. Later, I found out that the couple who wanted those two upper berths in coupe #3, didn't take them. They were getting off at an earlier station and wanted to pay only for the distance traveled, but the attendant, following the rules, wanted to charge the full fare to Nanchang. Hmmm..how would this transaction go in another country?
Any case, because we did not want to disturb others in coupe #1 or #3, we decided to go to the dining car. My new friend was boasting how good the dining car food is, and the variety they offer. Both of us already had our dinners, but I was open to trying something new. The dining car was fairly empty, except for one table with some people smoking. We picked a spot farthest away from them. The diner had none of the dishes that he wanted me to try. We were explained that although the train runs back and forth every day, the dining car pantry is replenished only every fourth day - today being the last day. Hence, most of the interesting dishes were not available. We ordered something else and chatted until they were ready to close the diner. It was about 11 PM. We went back to our coupes and slept comfortably.
During my trips to India, I have managed to squeeze in a train travel here and there, including the famous Rajdhani Express between Mumbai and Delhi. Australia and Europe are two other places (continents, actually.) that would be fun to explore via trains - some day! (I did in Italy in 2013.)
I had heard a lot about China's super fast and bullet (Mag Lev) trains. In 2011, taking a 48 hour train ride from Beijing to Lhasa - which is an engineering feat in itself because of the length of track laid on permafrost, mountain passes rising to 17,000 ft, and oxygen pumped in to train cabins to avoid altitude sickness - would have been a fantastic experience. On my return trip, I was to take the train from Lhasa, down the Tibetan Plateau to LanZhou, GanSu - but then my plans changed.
Mag Lev trains run regularly between Beijing and Shanghai - may be some day! I did, however, manage to experience a short ride on Mag Lev train (30 km, 8 minutes) going at 300 km per hour -for what, a minute or two?- from Shanghai PVG airport to the city. See the green display showing time and speed in the picture below:
So (FINALLY!) during this trip, I decided to take the plunge and ride a super fast train from Beijing XiZhan (West Railway Station) to Nanchang. These trains are air-conditioned, with reserved seating or hard/soft sleepers. I had a choice of three super fast trains - all leaving between 7:30 and 8 PM from Beijing and reaching Nanchang the next morning between 7 and 8 am. The fastest one (Z65) had only one stop in between. The one I took, Z67, had three stops including Nanchang as the final stop. It covers 1449 KM in about 11 1/2 hours - not bad for business travelers who can finish their business during the day in Beijing, get a nice sleep on the train, and be back home/work the next morning. From Shanghai, the distance to Nanchang is 813 KM, which super fast trains cover in 6 1/2 hours.
The tricky part is to purchase train tickets from overseas. Chinese residents, using Chinese website in China can purchase tickets easily (usually 10 days in advance.) Trains are generally crowded so there are no guarantees of getting a ticket on the train of your choice or the ticket class. So you have to be flexible. I did get the lower berth of a soft sleeper on Z67, my second choice - that too because someone in Beijing purchased it for me. As it turned out, there were empty berths on my train, but that would be taking a huge chance! Some travel agents in Beijing can purchase tickets for you and deliver to your hotel for 35Y - not a bad alternative.
Thursday, November 1: Back to my story in Beijing: after getting off the bus in front of the train station, I found that the main entrance was barricaded for security reasons, and passengers were allowed to enter from the side - narrow gates wide enough for just one person through which you squeeze in your luggage, and have your ticket and ID (passport) checked. Escalator up one level brings you to this enormous lobby with waiting halls for each platform on either side. Large indicator showed each train and platform number. The lobby was crowded just like an airport, but much more noisy. I reached the waiting hall for my train - the place was packed. The indicator inside the hall listed next 2-3 trains, but ours was the next to board. I made it here on time - 45 minutes before departure. I checked with one of the attendants, who explained that boarding will begin in a couple of minutes and that I should stand in one of the many lines - there were 6-8 rows of people lined up to get on the train. Others were sitting around, possibly for the following trains.
Soon, they opened the gates and let people in after checking their tickets. Everyone was going in the same direction, through double doors, a long hallway, a bridge and then finally down an escalator on to the train platform. Everything was pretty orderly. The escalator landed near the middle of the 16-18 car train - smaller numbers going left, and larger to the right. At each car, an attendant (conductor?) was standing outside checking your tickets before boarding. Most people were going left, towards the front of the train -where unreserved and reserved seating was. It seemed that the attendants on that side were all males.
I could read three things on my ticket: Z67 was the train number, car # 12, and #3 berth/coupe - not sure which. I walked to my car to the right/back of the train, and noticed that very few passengers going that way. Attendants on this side - all females - were waiting for the few stragglers like me. The back of the train must be all sleepers, less crowded and therefore more manageable. Somehow, most other passengers were already on the train and settled in their berths.
At car #12, this smart, petite, young attendant was waiting. She had a book that looked like a business card holder with plastic slots. She checked my ticket, pulled out a card key from a slot and gave it to me. It had the same two numbers - 3 and 12 on them. She placed my ticket in that slot. I was expecting her to punch my ticket and return to me. Then, she explained something to me in Chinese, which I did not understand. Finally, she pointed me to board the train, and said something in English that I guessed (wrongly) meant "go to the 3rd coupe, berth number 12." Since each coupe has four berths - two lower and two upper, the lower being slightly more expensive - the 3rd coupe had berth #12, an upper right berth. So I went there.
Train designs look pretty much the same the world over. Services are also very similar. Your large luggage goes under the lower berth. For upper berths, there is a small storage space overhead. There is a reading light for each berth, small table at one end with a thermos with hot water. Bedding is provided. The door to the coupe can be closed and lights turned off at night. Just outside, there is the narrow passage for the entire length of each car. The train is connected from end to end; and there is a dining car in the middle. Just outside each coupe, folding seats are available in case you want to sit outside. It was already past dinner time, but next morning, I saw Dim Sum carts going through the train in case you wanted to purchase any breakfast.
I entered coupe #3. There was one man on lower left berth, and a woman, who was talking on the phone, on lower right. Top berths were empty - one being #12. I thought the man and the woman were together, but they weren't. I said hello to the man, and we became friends within minutes. We found so much to talk about - he spoke English, he had studied in the US, been to San Francisco, was working as a Civil Engineer/Manager in Beijing, was visiting his brother in Nanchang, and had traveled by this train many times.
First, he helped me with the logistics - my bag would not fit in the storage for the upper berth, and it wouldn't easily go under the lower berth either. When asked, the attendant suggested that I leave the bag in the hallway - and that it would be safe there. He didn't like the idea, so we managed to somehow push it under the lower berth. He explained that the attendant will return our tickets before we get off the train, in exchange for the card key. The original ticket is your proof of travel - the only way your employer will reimburse you for your expenses.
Right on time, the train started moving. The woman on the phone finished her conversation and said hello to me. That's when I realized that she was NOT with the man, as I had assumed. A few minutes later, the attendant came by and asked me why I wasn't in my correct spot - which was lower berth #3 in coupe #1. Through my interpreter friend, I found out that there was a couple who wanted the two empty berths in coupe #3, so it would be better if I went to my spot. I didn't care whether I had an upper berth or lower, and was happy to have someone to chat with where I was, but agreed to move to coupe #1. Later, I found out that the couple who wanted those two upper berths in coupe #3, didn't take them. They were getting off at an earlier station and wanted to pay only for the distance traveled, but the attendant, following the rules, wanted to charge the full fare to Nanchang. Hmmm..how would this transaction go in another country?
Any case, because we did not want to disturb others in coupe #1 or #3, we decided to go to the dining car. My new friend was boasting how good the dining car food is, and the variety they offer. Both of us already had our dinners, but I was open to trying something new. The dining car was fairly empty, except for one table with some people smoking. We picked a spot farthest away from them. The diner had none of the dishes that he wanted me to try. We were explained that although the train runs back and forth every day, the dining car pantry is replenished only every fourth day - today being the last day. Hence, most of the interesting dishes were not available. We ordered something else and chatted until they were ready to close the diner. It was about 11 PM. We went back to our coupes and slept comfortably.
Friday, November 2:
I woke up around 5:30 am when the train made its first stop after leaving Beijing - Huangzhuo (1158 KM). The train stopped for 5 minutes or so. A few people got off. After crossing the Yangtze river, the second stop was Jiujiang, about 150 KM later (at 1314 KM). The train was about 15 minutes late by the time we left this station. Next and the last stop was Nanchang. My student assistant, Wenbo, was coming to the train station to receive me. Earlier, I had texted to her that the train was on time. In the end, it was delayed by about 20 minutes. For the last hour or so, we stood in the passage way looking at the sunrise as the train passed by Poyang Lake, until we reached Nanchang (1449 KM.)
I got out of the train, said goodbye to my friend, walked to the middle of the train and then down the ramp (thankfully, no steps.) to a long tunnel under the platforms to the exit. Wenbo and driver were waiting for me holding a sign with my name. We walked to the adjacent parking garage, got in the car and drove out. It was around 8 am.
Nanchang Train station is on the south side of the river and south part of the town. JUFE (Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics) is about 18 KM northeast - across Nanchang city. We had to pass through the Nanchang city traffic, which wasn't too bad, but it took some time. About 40 minutes later, we reached the Guesthouse on JUFE campus. Overall, the train experience was very good. I am glad I did it.
I got out of the train, said goodbye to my friend, walked to the middle of the train and then down the ramp (thankfully, no steps.) to a long tunnel under the platforms to the exit. Wenbo and driver were waiting for me holding a sign with my name. We walked to the adjacent parking garage, got in the car and drove out. It was around 8 am.
Nanchang Train station is on the south side of the river and south part of the town. JUFE (Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics) is about 18 KM northeast - across Nanchang city. We had to pass through the Nanchang city traffic, which wasn't too bad, but it took some time. About 40 minutes later, we reached the Guesthouse on JUFE campus. Overall, the train experience was very good. I am glad I did it.
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