While bullet trains are often more associated with Japan, China’s 高铁 gāotiě (‘high-speed rail’) is the longest high-speed rail network in the world.
While it’s tempting to hop on a plane to travel between cities in China, buying a high-speed rail ticket is often much cheaper. And while flights are typically faster, you’ll save the time that you’d usually spend going through all the security and customs measures at an airport.
What’s more, train seats are usually more spacious and comfortable, and you’ll get to see beautiful scenery along the way.
Here’s how to take the high-speed rail in China, from types of train to where to book tickets and what to do at the station.
There are three types of high-speed trains in China:
高速动车 gāosù dòngchē ‘high-speed train’ – G trains: although all three types of train are classed as high-speed, G trains are the fastest, and tend to run the longest-distance routes, like Beijing to Xi’an. (Called 高铁 ‘gāotiě’ for short.)
普通动车 pǔtōng dòngchē ‘ordinary train’ – D trains: these usually run middle to short-distance routes, for example Chengdu to Chongqing. Overnight sleeper trains are usually D trains, too. (Called 动车 ‘dòngchē’ for short.)
城际动车 chéng jì dòngchē ‘intercity train’ – C trains: these are the slowest of the high-speed trains, and run between neighbouring cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen. (Called 城铁 ‘chéngtiě’ for short.)
Booking tickets
You can buy tickets either online or from the station you’re departing from, and you can usually buy tickets up to two weeks in advance of your trip.
One way to buy your Chinese high-speed rail tickets is on the official website, 中国铁路 12306 (‘Zhōngguó Tiělù 12306’, China Railway 12306). An English mode is available, but users often report it going down – so using the original Chinese website is more reliable.
You can also use the website ctrip.com, or the English version trip.com – it’s worth noting that prices are often a little cheaper on ctrip.com, so brushing up on your Chinese reading skills to use it can save you money.
Whether buying at a station or online, make sure you specify you want to travel by 高铁 – when booking online, there’s a check box you can click so that your search results will filter by high-speed trains only.
For both websites and at the station, you’ll need your passport handy to be able to register for tickets. Once you’ve registered and you’re browsing tickets, you can also choose what class you’d like to sit in. Depending on the model of the train and type of journey, you can choose between:
二等座 èrděng zuò – second class
一等座 yīděng zuò – first class
特等座 tèděng zuò – premier class
商务座 shāngwù zuò – business class
硬卧 yìngwò – hard sleeper
软卧 ruǎnwò – soft sleeper
高级软卧 gāojí ruǎnwò – deluxe soft sleeper
Before you set off
Many cities have multiple big train stations with high-speed rail connectivity, but not all will serve the route you want. When buying your tickets, and then after you buy them for good measure, check which station you’re departing from.
Many cities’ train stations are named after compass directions (北，南，东，西 – běi, nán, dōng, xī / north, south, east, west), but there are also stations named after the area they’re in or a nearby landmark. Either way, they tend not to be very close together, so make sure you double-check before you set off to avoid any last-minute panics.
At the station
Although not as lengthy as at an airport, there are still some security measures you need to follow before you board the train.
Similarly to at an airport, you’ll have your passport checked (or ID if you’re a local), there’ll be a conveyor belt scanner for your bags, a metal scanner for you to walk through, and often also a member of staff with a manual scanner to check for other prohibited articles. Make sure you check what’s not allowed in your luggage beforehand – you can see some examples of what is and isn’t allowed, and luggage size restrictions here. On the train, there are bag racks for personal bags above the seats and luggage storage space at the ends of each carriage.
Once you’ve completed the security checks, check the electronic boards to see which zone or area you need to wait in before the gates open.
Ready for a city-hopping adventure? Check out the cities in China you can book a homestay learning course with us in the ‘Locations’ tab at the top of the page. Remember – you can choose more than one city.
