Welcome to one of the fastest high speed railway systems on our planet. China’s high speed railway system is close to 10,000 km in length — making that the largest worldwide already. The three metro hubs — Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou — are all linked up by HSR, with many more provincial capitals and metro regions being linked up as we speak. Over another 10,000 km of HSR are nearing completion or are already being built as we speak.
Here’s a quick briefer into the HSR system…
TAKING HSR IN BRIEF
Note: China refers to High Speed Rail as CRH “Harmony Express” (和谐号) trains, alternatively rendered in train Chinglish as EMU (electric multiple units) trains (动车组列车). (They’re not after the animal — as in the emu — itself.) These include all trains prefixed C, D and G, as follows:
- C trains are intercity high speed trains. The only C trains in China right now run between Beijing South, Tianjin and Tanggu.
- D trains are long-distance local high speed trains that run a tad slower (at around 200-250 km/h).
- G trains are high speed express trains that run at full speed (300 km/h).
The highlight of your journey will probably be on a state-of-the-art G train, especially the flagship line between Beijing and Shanghai.
A BRIEFER INTO RIDING CHINESE HIGH SPEED RAIL
- Buy tickets at a railway station, by phone, or online. If you are a PRC citizen with a 2nd generation ID card, you can also use authorized railway ticket points of sales outside of stations, or the automatic ticket vending machines at railway stations. For international travellers or residents from Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan, it is best to go to the station as all other channels are nearly mainland PRC-only. You may buy tickets to and from any destination in China (Mainland only!) as long as your station supports networked ticketing (look for 联网售票 or 全国各地). Only few counters support credit card ticketing: it is advised to use a Mainland China credit or debit card.
- Arrive in good time at the train station before the train departs. Ticket gates open as early as 30 minutes prior to departure and will close 5 minutes before departure (3 minutes in some stations, but don’t count on it!). Do NOT throw away your ticket as you will need it at the end of your journey, or at a transfer point!
- Remain on the train until your final destination or the transfer point as designated on your ticket (if applicable). Remember high speed trains will stop only briefly at any midway stations. If you’re left at a midway station and the doors slam shut, you’ll be lost and will forfeit all onward travel on your ticket(s)!
- Prepare to exit the train in good time at the final destination. Present your ticket to exit the station or at the ticket gates.
- Hang on to your ticket as a souvenir because the train ticket contains personally identifiable information. If you need to get rid of the ticket, mutilate the QR code and any personal data (eg passenger name and passport/ID card number).
HSR PASSENGER NOTES
- You must buy tickets with a valid document of identity. This will, for foreigners, be your passport, or for mainland PRC citizens, your ID card. For travellers from Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan, this will be the document of identity you showed at immigration to gain access to the mainland.
- In general, the most you can buy tickets for is around 10 days before your planned date of departure. You can buy tickets for other trains (by train number), but you are only allowed a ticket on one particular train to the final destination. If your ticket leaves from a station outside the ticket you got your ticket at (or outside the metropolitan area of the city concerned), each ticket will carry a CNY 5 surcharge, payable in cash only.
- There will be some restrictions on baggage allowed; the combined height, width and length of a piece of luggage cannot in theory exceed 130 centimetres, and should not be over 20 kg per piece (10 kg for kids). But in practice, these restrictions are rarely enforced. Dangerous items will not be allowed, and train crew are required to deal with dangerous items that have somewhat “secretly” slipped onboard.
- All HSR trains are non-smoking. Trains are equipped with detectors, and if you smoke (even in the toilet), you’ll in essence cause the train to brake! This will almost certainly cause delays and may even land you penalties.
- All trains, including HSR trains, come with access to hot water. Get your Thermos flask or Starbucks tumbler ready, and pop in your favourite teabag! The hot water is free of charge.
- You must present a valid ticket to gain access to a platform for HSR trains. Platform tickets cannot be sold for HSR trains. If you are allowed onboard without a ticket, you must declare this to the conductor within 20 minutes following departure from the station you boarded the train on, and apply for ticket purchase onboard, or you will have to pay an extra surcharge.
- Do not attempt to touch any emergency equipment, especially if there are no emergencies on the train. In actual emergencies, either train crew will activate these devices or you will specifically be told to do so — this is the only situation where you may legally be allowed to push the red button.
- Trains will stop only briefly at midway stations. Do not exit the train at midway stations as high speed trains run to relatively strict schedules. If you leave even to smoke briefly outside the train, you risk being left behind. If that happens, you will forfeit all onward travel on this journey!
- Do not remain in carriages which cost more (in terms of class of travel). You are allowed to pass through these carriages, though, provided you do not linger too long.
- If you unfortunately happen to miss your train, you can apply to change your ticket to a train which you can both catch and which still has seats available. However, you must depart on the date of departure as your original ticket. Show the same ID as you used to buy your original ticket.
- You can only change your ticket once — and you cannot change your route or travel via a different railway line. You also cannot change your ticket to non-high speed trains if you’ve missed your train.
- A 5% service charge applies for refunds. You must show your linked ID in this case. Refunds are your “only way out” if you spot a typo on your ticket regarding your ID number.
- Train tickets that have been changed due to missed trains cannot be changed again or be refunded.
- There are wheelchair accessible toilets and some seats are also ready for disabled riders. It is best to inform station and train crew soonest possible if you are, or are accompanying, a special needs rider.