buying train tickets in beijing

[hongputaojiu]

Hi guys,

I get into BJ next Sunday and need to buy a overnight hard or soft train ticket. I have never bought tickets before, but I know there are some small offices on street level at various places which sell tickets.

But I don't know what these are called in Chinese.

Or, would it be better to go to the train station and buy there? It would be an adventure, no doubt, but this is why I am going, to improve my Chinese!

Do I have much chance getting tickets a few days in advance eg BJ-Shanghai/BJ-Nanjing etc or am naively hoping too much?!?

Thanks for any advice.

hongputaojiu

[m000gle]

Depending on your Chinese ability, and knowing a few vocab words specific to trains etc, buying tickets from those shops is usually fairly easy. I had no problem buying them during my first term of Chinese, as a beginner, in Beijing. However, given that there's no guarantee a particular train, fare type etc will not be sold out, it helps to be flexibile... Here's a quick run down.

Fare Types:

特等软座 - Top-class seat -

Crazy expensive (more than flying) and likely not worth it. (G Train only)

一等软座 - First-class seat -

Still extremely pricey and only existing on G or D trains. (G & D train only)

二等软座 - Second-class seat -

Quite comfortable, and reasonably priced... A bit steep for my own budget, but then again I generally just go for the cheapest fare. (G & D Train only)

软卧 - Soft-Sleeper -

Comfortable, four person per berth sleeper. The berth also has a door to separate it from the hallway. (T & K trains)

硬卧 - Hard sleeper -

Adequate comfort for most, six people per berth. Open to the hallway. (T & K trains)

软座 - Soft-seat -

Comfortable seats, two per side of the aisle. I would consider them on par with VIA/Amtrack in North America, but others may debate that. (T & K trains)

硬座 - Hard-seat -

The cheapest fare one can normally buy. Three seats per side of the aisle, not much more comfortable than school bus benches. Usually no Western style toilets.

无座 - No seat -

You sit/stand on/in the aisle of a hard seat train car. Tickets are often not sold in advance, similar to stand by. Each train car can have a few dozen, so space is extremely limited. I've done this for 14 hours. Avoid at all costs, unless you just want the experience.

Train Types:

G - e.g. G1004 -

Fastest bullet trains. Only operating Guangzhou-Wuhan and Nanjing-Shanghai. Beijing-Shanghai service will start in the summer. Quite pricey, but faster than flying, when airport security check etc is factored in. (300km/h + )

Z -

I think these are similar to either G or D, but I'm not sure which.

D - e.g. D29 -

Typical, Japanese Shinkansen style bullet trains, currently running many routes across China. (~250km/h)

T & K - e.g. T151 -

"Express" trains, but most would consider them typical inter-city trains.

No Letter - eg. 1461 -

Local trains, as in they generally make every stop. The difference in price between these and T&K express trains is usually negligible, but journey times can easily be double.

Availability:

Any of those small shops should be able to help you. Tickets do sell out, especially around peak periods, but it is usually still possible to find a ticket. I'm not sure how many days in advance they can be purchased, but easily a week for most routes. Apparently, online booking and ticket purchase by automated terminals will begin, on certain routes, this summer.

ID is now required for purchasing G, D and Z tickets. For foreigners, this means either a passport or residence permit. This ID must also be shown when boarding.

Schedules:

Train schedules and prices are available online at www.tielu.org . Its all in Chinese, though.

[roddy]

Do you know where you're staying in Beijing? Someone might be able to suggest an actual ticket office. There's a list here, but it might be easier to use Google or Baidu maps and search for 火车票 and the like.

Not sure what availability is like on those routes, but I'd imagine you'll be able to get something. Bear in mind there are three main stations now, the main one, West and South - make sure you know where you're leaving from. You may wish to buy your ticket from the actual station, if only so you can figure out where you need to go on the day.

Also, if you haven't already, consider flying. It's often not that much more expensive and you can easily book the ticket from overseas. Nowhere near as much fun, though.

If you let us know what actual route you want to take and whether you'd prefer a cheaper, slower, more fun experience, or a costlier, faster, more sterile one someone can probably come up with some actual train numbers and classes.

Nice post, M000gle. Silly name though.

[hongputaojiu]

Hi guys

you are both legends, thanks very much for the info.

actually, I have enough Chinese to navigate the links you gave me, but I didn't realise how to access this information before, and just how detailed it is. this has totally given me so many more options for train travel now!

to be honest, I love train travel, and am leaning towards mostly hard sleeper travel. I would like to experience some of the bullet trains, but my preference is just to have some fun meeting people and hopefully practicing my Chinese a bit. I have a month of travel and then a month of study with a hanban scholarship, so I really looking forward to it now!

actually, a second question which perhaps you both have the experience to say. Imagine I want to get off in some out of the way towns, as I think it would be a very interesting experience to get out of cities a bit, eg. Beijing-Nanjing. Do you have any suggestions for making the most out of visits to small towns? I hope this doesnt sound too vague, basically I am keen to explore some parts of China by train. I have never visited small towns before, and speak basically low int/upper elem.

thanks again

hongputaojiu

[m000gle]

If you love train travel while getting to both practice your Chinese and meet people, hard seats and sleepers are definitely the way to go! There are more people, its more social, and since you are not Chinese plenty of people will be as curious about you as you are of them.

Breaking a longer journey into segments, and staying a night or two at certain cities, is pretty simple. You just need to buy tickets from A to B, B to C and so on, as a single ticket would not work. The only complicating factor is whether, or not, you are able to buy the tickets for each segment ahead of time. You may find that you can only purchase the first segment at your origin, and only upon arrival at your first destination can you purchase the next segment's ticket. This is not a problem if you schedule is flexible, but should the next segment be sold out on a particular day, a tight schedule could be problematic.

Exploring smaller cities and towns is a lot of fun, but I'm not sure what exactly to reccomend. A LOT depends on how confident you are with the lower-intermediate language level, and what you actually consider a "city" or "town". For example, based on population, many "towns" in China would pass as decent sized cities in North America. If its big enough to sport a chain hotel like 汉庭, or any other where you can call ahead, you'll probably be fine. That said, be sure to keep friends family up-to-date in case things to go tits up =P

[abcdefg]

actually, a second question... Imagine I want to get off in some out of the way towns, as I think it would be a very interesting experience to get out of cities a bit, eg. Beijing-Nanjing. Do you have any suggestions for making the most out of visits to small towns?

I've done this some, and have a few lower-level (not very sophisticated) suggestions:

1. When you first arrive at the small town station, before ever leaving the station, buy your onward ticket. If you wait to do it until you are ready to leave, that train may be sold out and you face a three or four hour wait on a station bench or wind up with a standing ticket. Especially true if it isn't on a main line or it is a weekend or holiday.

2. That small town you and I have never heard of may have a population of two million people. Talking to people onboard the train may clue you into what it is famous for, if anything. I try to look for someone whose destination is that place; they may have business there or relatives living there and can be more helpful than someone just passing through.

3. That small town may also have more than one stop, for example a West Station and an East Station, especially if you are riding a slower train. The train conductor can often help you determine which stop is closest to what you want to see or do. Even if you don't really have "tourist-type" travel objectives, it's still a good idea to try and figure out whether one stop is in the middle of a hundred gritty factories and the other is where people actually live, eat, shop and so on.

4. Taxis from the train station to the city center often follow their own set of rules; the more remote the station is, the more true this is. Generally they will try to get more than the metered fare and bargaining in advance of hire is always required. Furthermore, it's difficult to bargain effectively when you don't know the "going rate" for getting to and from that particular station. If there's a bus, I usually take it instead without worrying about precisely where it goes, to just get somewhere inside the city itself where "normal" taxi rules apply.

5. Try to travel light. Most smaller stations have lots of stairs; may not have escalators, especially on the "going out" lanes. If you do wind up with a heavy suitcase or two, check them at the "left luggage" office of the station while you explore the city with a smaller "overnight bag."

Two more general "train travel" comments:

6. Train traveling with a friend is preferable to traveling solo. You can at least watch each other’s stuff while one of you goes to the toilet or to get for hot water for the instant noodles. Thieves abound and can ruin your entire trip in the blink of an eye. It's not to say that ordinary people are dishonest; but there are professional thieves who earn their living and feed their families by stealing your stuff. It is their job and they are good at it.

7. About buying tickets, especially in the larger cities, expect the worst and be prepared to deal with it. Maybe you will be pleasantly surprised. Ticket sellers are often grouchy, bored, and rushed. There are a hundred people behind you in line, many of them impatient and rude. Furthermore, the ticket seller is usually talking to you through thick glass on a microphone which may not have good sound quality. If your Chinese is not great, write stuff out before hand so you can show it to them in case they don't understand what you are saying.

You may know all this already, and if so, I apologize for the redundancy. I am far from an expert in this field and still stumble around quite a bit when attempting train travel on my own in China. Much of what I said above has been learned "the hard way." My country of origin is the US, where trains are seldom used for getting from A to B.

[PanShiBo]

Imagine I want to get off in some out of the way towns, as I think it would be a very interesting experience

That's the way to see real China (Beijing and Shanghai are NOT China). Real China begins where people get excited seeing white person and yell laowai! and you never see another one for weeks (or months).

Buy train ticket for the next 300 km, hard seat, that's where you get most of fun meeting people. Get off the train, find local hotel for Chinese (50-100 rmb/night) around train station. Stay in town 2-3 nights. Cross the city by public bus (1rmb), go see places, taste local tea, or noodles. At night go to park see people dance, sing, play tennis or jianzi (毽子). Go for the next leg.

I have done (and still on the road) thousands miles like that. Never seen "hundreds of people" in line behind, nor have I seen rude people, or bored ticket sellers. Although other aspects like spitting on the floor, dropping food and garbage, smoking, yelling etc. is common.

Better yet, alternate train with long-distance bus, sometimes overnight, and you can get more complete experience and get to even more exotic places. Like where nobody speaks English, except "halluuo", and Mandarin is considered "second" language.

[m000gle]

Real China begins where people get excited seeing white person and yell laowai!

That still happens on occasion in Beijing, although its usually little kids hahaha

Either way, abcdefg and PanShiBo are bang on with their advice! ^^

[imron]

(Beijing and Shanghai are NOT China). Real China begins where people get excited seeing white person and yell laowai! and you never see another one for weeks (or months).

Really? So by way of comparison, New York and Los Angeles are not the real USA, London is not the real England, and Sydney and Melbourne aren't the real Australia?

I'll agree that Beijing and Shanghai are very different from the more remote cities and rural areas of China, but China is more than just some rural backwater where the people have never seen a white person before. It has many different sides to it, and all are the real China.

[amandagmu]

Ok, I have a potential issue to report. I went to the train ticket office near me today in Beijing (the one across from 工人体育场 Northeast) to buy a ticket to Changchun for this weekend. There was a notice posted (and I was then verbally told) that beginning June 1 since I am a foreigner I must go to the station to buy my ticket. Well, I'm pissed. That's going to waste a few hours of my time.

Anyone else encountered this yet?

[Yang Rui]

One thing that I haven't seen suggested here is going to a travel agent and getting them to buy your ticket for you. This has two main advantages: they often have access to tickets that you couldn't get just turning up at the station, and they go through all the hassle of buying it for you. Of course, there is a small fee involved (maybe a large fee if you use an agent in a large international hotel) but for the amount of hassle it saves, it can be well worth it. The only reasons it might not be worth it are if you're on a very tight budget, or if you actually want to enjoy the 'experience' of doing it for yourself.

It might also get you around the problem that amandagmu described of not being able to buy tickets from the small ticket offices dotted around the city.

[amandagmu]

Yang Rui: Do you have a suggested travel agent in Beijing for buying train tickets? Because I still need to buy mine...

[roddy]

Hotels and hostels may have one, but if you're already at Gongti it's not THAT much further to the station. If you're up in Haidian (can't remember) you may be able to buy the ticket at Beijing North, by Xizhimen.

As for why you can't buy your ticket - I'll wager they've implemented their new real-name registration system for train tickets, and it won't accept anything that isn't a Chinese ID card number.

[amandagmu]

I think you're right. That's what another Chinese person suggested to me earlier when I told her what happened. She said it's just like taking the plane now, except then I pointed out that for foreigners when you buy a plane ticket you don't need to show your identity card until you get to the airport to take the flight. Unlike the smoking ban I'm not so keen on this new regulation.

[jbradfor]

That's the way to see real China (Beijing and Shanghai are NOT China).

That's like saying "Real America" consists only of towns of 1000 people with no stop lights that have never seen an Asian person in person. I've been to places like that, and I really hope that's not all America has to offer.

[anonymoose]

By the way, the new high-speed rail line between Beijing and Shanghai has just opened. As far as I know, it is still officially in testing phase, but tickets have already gone on sale for it.

[hongputaojiu]

thanks for the advice and suggestions from everyone. i am really looking forward to arriving in china this sunday!!

a question for those who have travelled to some remote areas - what is the smallest town you have been to? would i be causing too many hassles (PSB wise) in attempting to visit some tiny out of the way places?

cheers

hongputaojiu

[imron]

would i be causing too many hassles (PSB wise) in attempting to visit some tiny out of the way places?

Depends entirely on the attitude of the local PSB, some will be welcoming, others will freak out. Visiting out of the way places is definitely possible though.

[xiaocai]

I'll wager they've implemented their new real-name registration system for train tickets, and it won't accept anything that isn't a Chinese ID card number.

So far I think this only applies to type G trains. And in this case not just foreigners but most of passengers will have to buy their tickets from the train stations. This system does accept "居民身份证、临时身份证、军官证、武警警官证、士兵证、军队学员证、军队文职干部证、军队离退休干部证和军队职工证，护照、港澳同胞回乡证、港澳居民来往内地通行证、中华人民共和国来往港澳通行证、台湾居民来往大陆通行证、大陆居民往来台湾通行证、外国人居留证、外国人出入境证、外交官证、领事馆证、海员证". But it is fairly new and needs tweaks, so you may come across problems when your ID is not Chinese.

[amandagmu]

So far I think this only applies to type G trains.

I'm sad to say this isn't true. I just had a "fun" experience at the train station. (I say "fun" in quotations because it's my sarcastic way of describing any type of experience one has in China when trying to figure out how the system works....) I bought two D （动车？） tickets to go and return. Let me describe how I did this so others know how it works.

First of all, if you do not read or speak ANY Chinese I do not recommend doing this. If you speak a little and write down your routes in Chinese characters you should be OK. Otherwise, seriously consider going through a hostel, hotel, travel agent, or find a Chinese friend ASAP. Oh, and FYI BRING ALONG YOUR PASSPORT! Or (most likely) no ticket for you! They grabbed my passport and put the numbers on both my tickets.

Now, since I can read Chinese I had no problem figuring out how to buy the ticket from Beijing to Changchun. I checked the website huochepiao.cn in advance and wrote down the information on a few different trains I would be willing to take (ranked, so I knew which I wanted to say first!) and their ticket prices, so I knew how much money to take with me. This is important because the station provides almost 0 information in written form other than the display on the wall and it's all in Chinese.

I would say unless you're going very early or very late you plan to spend at least 45-60 minutes taking care of train tickets.

I went to the 北京站 (Beijing main station) ticket hall, which coming from the subway and facing the front of the station is the furthest side of the station on the right. When I walked in there were a bunch of ticket windows and lines, all in Chinese characters, and the huge display board on the wall, which only displayed trains through Saturday.... so 5 days out (I guess that's all they're selling). I found the train I wanted to Changchun and it was listed as still having seats (yay!). I then turned towards the long crazy lines in front of the ticket windows on my right and found the window that said the next 4-5日for 北方(including 长春) and I got in line. When I got to the front there seemed to be no issues other than the usual ones ("when? what train number/time? hard or soft seat? first class or second class" etc). I then asked if I could buy the return ticket, to which I was told no, I have to go to another window. After getting shuffled around in various lines trying to buy a return ticket (no one seemed to want to help me) and having a hell of a time, I complained to the station director booth (had to wait in line for that too) that the sign in English that said "Foreigners go to ticket window 16" was actually unhelpful because the window was CLOSED. Then suddenly decided to open it up and I was able to buy my return ticket from Changchun -> Beijing (I don't know if they speak English at that window, I did the whole thing in Chinese.....).

As Roddy said, I live close-ish to the station, so it only took me ~25 minutes to get there and home on the subway, but I wasted another 45 minutes in the station trying to determine where I should buy my tickets. I reiterate my previous point that I sure hope they get the system in place and fixed so that I can continue buying from the local ticket booth, otherwise this is going to make summer travel to anywhere a nightmare.