High speed train (Gao Tie) in China

China nowadays has the longest high speed train network in the world, measuring 19,000 km in the beginning of 2017 and the railway department is constructing new routes every day. The average speed of a high speed train is 280 km / hr, while the fastest speed is recorded at the train from Shanghai city to Shanghai Pudong Airport, reaching the speed of 400 km / hr. 

The whole network of the high speed train (Pronounced as "Gao Tie" in Mandarin Chinese) only started 12 years ago, but it has since become the most important form of transport in China. It is punctual (much more than domestic flights in China!), convenient (connecting most cities and towns), clean, economical and comfortable. In 2015, more than 900 million passengers have taken the train. 

If you are taking the high speed train in China, please note:

1. You need to present your passport when you buy the ticket at the station. All tickets are printed with your name and document number on it. 
2. In big cities there may exist more than 1 station. For instance, Beijing has 4 stations (South, West, Central and North). So it is important that you go to the right station for your train. 
3. In the station, on the train schedule screen, the staff, even the ticket, are all in Chinese, so it is better you take the train with a translator.
4. There are 3 classes of seats in the train (Executive class, first class and second class). As a matter of fact, second class seats are very clean and comfortable already, there is no need to pay 2 or 3 times more for the other classes, which only gives you little more space, privacy and a box of Chinese snacks.

​Orient+ love to take high speed trains with our clients in China!