High Speed Rail Travel in China

Inside the High Speed Train in China

Inside the High Speed Train in China

Apparently, the codes on Chinese train tickets mean something. I have mostly taken the cheapest ones so I don’t really know most of the others. However, what I do know, is that lines starting with K stand for Kuai 快 or “fast”, however, in reality, these are probably one of the slower ones. T is for Te 特 for “express service” which is a little faster than the K, these don’t stop at all stations which explains the speed difference. The train I will be taking here at the Beijing South Railway Station is the D train. The D is for Dong 动 or “move”.

Finally, Individual Seats on a Chinese Train

Finally, Individual Seats on a Chinese Train

The D trains are probably one of the most modern trains that China has in their fleet. I was truly impressed when I walked down to the train and I saw what was a high speed train. It was my first time taking one ever and this got me really excited. The trains were shiny new and looked extremely cool. It was like boarding a plane and they even have attendants to show you the way. The inside of the train looked much like the inside of an airplane.

Just Like Boarding A Plane

Just Like Boarding A Plane

The seats were nice and clean for a change, and it seems to be okay to put your stuff on the floor. It has much more leg room than an airplane with a bigger window to match. I was fortunate to sit by the window as our train was preparing to leave. What was best was this train was absolutely no smoking and people actually follow it. I guess once I get a taste of high speed rail travel in China, I might not want to go back to K class anymore. I hope they continue expanding their network, so that high speed and high quality rail travel will be accessible to more people.

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