Honestly, I can't figure out from where or what angle this photo was taken, but it looks great.
So I decided to take the overnight train to Beijing…
Shanghai Railway Station, the New Trains, and their Amenities
Shanghai Railway Station has gotten a lot nicer than I remember it, with some semblance of attempted order now compared to the chaos of before. There’s a dedicated taxi queue and entrance to the station grounds now, and the station itself is undergoing major renovations. It still won’t be as nice as the newer Shanghai South Railway Station (or, I imagine, the many newer train hubs developing throughout Shanghai), but it will be nice.
Sample image of a hard sleeper cabin, minus the curtains, sheets, pillows, blankets, and a privacy wall.
T110 was, also, nice. I opted for the overnight T train instead of the overnight D train because it was much cheaper and I didn’t really care to get into Beijing by 7-8am in the morning. Might as well take my time and sleep longer on the train, right? As hard as the “hard sleeper” ticket sounds, it’s actually not that bad. There are six beds (or berths) per “cabin” in a row of “cabins” per train car. In each “cabin”, there are three bunk beds/berths on each side with a small fold-out table in the middle. Directly outside and in front of the cabin are two additional fold-out chairs with a small table, for those moments when you can’t suffer staying in your bunk and want to sip some tea watching the countryside pan by through the windows.
The lower bunk is the most convenient for several reasons. One, you don’t need to climb up. Two, you pretty much own the fold-out table in the cabin. Three, you can sit up comfortably in your bed without hitting the ceiling or the bunk above you. The flipside is that people have to pass by you to climb up to their beds and for that, there’s a measure of lost privacy and inconvenience.
The top bunk is close enough to the ceiling that you definitely cannot sit up. This doesn’t matter when you’re sleeping, but does mean you’ll end up climbing down to walk around and stretch. Climbing is okay, as there are plenty of sturdy handles and fold-out foot pegs. One of the benefits of the top bunk, at least on the “T” train, is that there’s a recess/shelf for your luggage up there, where it remains mostly out of sight and thus safer from would-be thieves, a common concern with train travel in China. The top bunk also arguably has the most privacy so if you wanted to get your mack on with a new train buddy (or one you brought on the train with you) it’s possible, provided you’re shameless enough to not care what your berth-mates might think.
Ho ho ho.
A “hard sleeper” bed isn’t that hard, as it is padded with a thin mattress, covered with a sheet, and accompanied with a good blanket and pillow. “Soft sleepers” are, obviously, “softer” with a thicker mattress and, depending on the train, less berth-mates (usually only 4 per cabin). Personally, I think a hard-sleeper is good enough for overnight trains. A cheaper hard seat or soft seat ticket just isn’t worth the pain and suffering of sleeping upright.
As my overnight T110 train departed Shanghai, the announcer explained that the train would provide musical entertainment until about 11pm when “night” would be officially declared and the lights would go out throughout the train, like throwing a sheet of cloth over a birdcage. Such announcements were made in Chinese, then repeated in an annoyingly Chinese-accented British English. Not accustomed to sleeping so early, being the strapping young night-owl lad that I am, it took me a long time to fall asleep, trying as I might with Joe Hisaishi’s “Summer” playing on repeat in my iPod. I get really hot (and sweaty, oh baby) when I fall asleep, so I ended up stripping out of all my clothes and Beijing-winter ready long-underwear (yeah baby), trying to doze off comfortably in only my boxers and undershirt.
Oh yeah.
Tomorrow: Beijing’s Accent, Pollution, and Subway Welcomes Me
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I took the Shanghai to Beijing Overnight Train, a new CRH high speed rail. It departed 9:15 pm from Shanghai Rail Station and arrive 7:30 at Beijing South Rail Station. Some FAQ and pictures are provided here.
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What is it like to take the overnight train from Shanghai to Beijing? How much does it cost? What to expect when you are inside a sleeper train and more! Read on to become emotionally prepared when you embark on a similar trip next time.
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First impressions of Beijing: Smog smog smog. In fact, does the smog cause Beijingers to speak the way they do or what? At least they have cheap subway tickets.
Shanghai to Beijing overnight D train photos and Q&A 
Shanghai-Beijing: Onboard The T Train 
Beijing’s Accent, Pollution, and Subway…Welcomes Me 
Thanks for the nice pics of the train hard sleeper. The design hasn’t changed much from the late ’80s. They are cleaner, newer materials, but essentially the same function. Two seats outside the cabin would be of benefit. Did the speaker come with a volume control?
Curious – happen to know what was the make and model of the engine that pulled this train?
Dude, I’m not that nerdy.
@ Don Tai: Every train I’ve been on does have two fold down seats and a little mini table outside every set of 6 beds, and there is often also a volume control for the speaker, although finding them isn’t always easy.
@ Kai: So CNReviews officially recommends the top bunk for mackin’, eh? It’s this kind of hard-hitting analysis that keeps me coming back, you know.
(I have shamelessly made out in hard-sleeper before, but nothing more than that. Didn’t have the top bunk.)
Actually, Custer, as part of the “master plan” that you’re already a bit privy on, we’re thinking of excising the “hard-hitting analysis” off CNR.
As for you getting your mack on, there’s something disconcerting about that mental imagery. Maybe I need to think more “rapper Custer” than “nerdy Custer”.
As for the volume knobs, I can’t say I noticed any on my train. Poo.
Kai, you are too funny, man! ROTF!
Nah, that was nerd Custer actually. The rapper version of me mostly just makes people sad.
Kai, the new soft sleepers on the BJ-SH line are amazing. It is worth the money not just because the bed is softer or larger, but also because they are better sound isolated and they feel really new and fresh like a rolling hotel. I prefer that any day to the plane if I have to travel in the night, you arrive in perfect conditions at 7am in Sh to work. Hard sleepers is OK for weekends but I wouldnt accept it to go to a meeting.
BTW, I just saw the article on Techncrunch by Lucas and the other Kai. Cool! BTW, you didn’t tell the guys to send a link back your way?
You’re probably right about the value of the soft-sleepers for business travel. Fortunately, I don’t have morning meetings to go to. :)
I guess we were spurned, but I’ll let Elliott look into that. 1) I have no idea whether or not they should’ve linked to CNR. 2) Not sure if we could survive getting linked by TechCrunch, though I don’t think that sort of post would send that much traffic our way anyway, whereas some of their recommendation/review posts on interesting new startups do sometimes take sites down with the sudden influx of TC traffic.
thanks for sharing, kai. i’m about to bring my wife, 2.5yr son and 3-month old baby girl for SH-BJ D306 train. my son loves thomas train so much so i decide this trip. a soft sleeper cabin (4 beds), which only started this month on D train costs me 2,760. the price is about right? hope it’s worth it.
Hey CY,
Well, the new CRH D trains aren’t exactly Thomas the Engine type of trains but 690 RMB per soft-sleeper ticket doesn’t sound too high or strange. Julen (Uln above) should be able to confirm for you on the price. As long as your family gets the cabin of 4 bunks for yourselves only, I’m sure it’ll be cozy and fun.
wonderful. will share with you guys when i’m back.
If only this was available in the United States. What a smart way to travel.
How much does it cost for a round trip ticket from SH-BJ in a hard seat? Just curious?
to share my wonderful experience. my family took D314 (concord) on dec 23 from sh to bj. we bought a private (4 beds) cabin at cost of around rmb 2,700. heard soft sleeper on D train started only from dec 21. it’s so new and clean and more than i expected. kind of aircraft interior deco. neat (public) rest room area. my 2.5 yr son jumping between beds and so excited. nothing at all to complain, except in the morning when i bought a neslie instant coffee it cost me rmb 8! and at the destination bj platform, i saw D306, which arrived a bit earlier. train itself is less new than D314. dunno why. anyway, it’s highly recommended and do it early before it gets old.
sounds cool. leaving down under to have a month long vacation with my two kids in china end of the month
already book return flights between Shanghai and HK, as well as one way flight from Shanghai to Beijing. thought that it might be some fun experience to train from BJ to SH. bet kids would that.
the pics of china’s hard sleeper is very good………….