Shanghai-Beijing: Onboard The T Train

For this year’s Spring trip organized by Fudan University, I joined the group going to Beijing. For 800RMB per head (which includes train, food, accommodations, and tour), the trip sounds like a steal! But definitely, we are not riding first class on the overnight train. Here is my version of what happened on the way to Beijing.

7.30pm Assembly time on paper for Fudan students going to Beijing.

7.48pm Real assembly time for Fudan students going to Beijing.

8.30pm Arrived at the Shanghai Railway Station.

8.57pm Blur, blur, blur.

Upon arriving at the Shanghai Railway Station, everyone needs to pass through the x-ray machines before proceeding. Then long stretch of elevators will greet you after your bags have been checked. So we go up.

Lots of people are travelling at this time of hour. And so we had to scavenge for seats. If you want to be comfortable during this waiting period, you have to keep your eyes sharp and be on the look out for empty chairs that disappear as quickly as they appear.

While I chose to sleep, reading materials are being sold at the entrance; so you could scan some of the day’s news while waiting for your boarding time.

They are being sold. They are not free even if they look like they are being freely distributed.

9.30pm Boarding time! Our train leaves 9.58pm.

The train is not bad, to say the least. The T104 is a hard sleeper train. And according to the figure written on its side, its maximum speed is 140kph.

Each car is divided into 11 bays with each bay compartmentalized into 6 bunks. Of course I wanted a soft sleeper train to begin with; but despite the name, the hard sleeper isn’t really that hard. The berths are padded. Come to think of it, it’s just like our bed in the dorm! Surprise, surprise. I almost forgot to mention that clean bed sheets, blankets, and pillows are provided too.

There’s a not-so broad aisle on one side, and everything is quite open. So if you’re next door neighbor is snoring, you can very well hear him!

The beds are stacked into 3 tiers with the most bottom layer as the best (and more expensive) choice. Come to think of it, “best” is a relative term. Since privacy is not really an option, the top bunk is the “safest” for your belongings. But then, you are squished against the ceiling. There’s only something like a-foot-and-a-half height space (or make that 2 feet) for you until your nose hits the ceiling. If you’re a big guy or a toss-and-turn kind of person, it’s advisable to get the bottom bunk most definitely.

I was able to try the 2nd bunk in a sleeper train before, and I didn’t had the most pleasant sleep. So I was secretly hoping and praying that I get the bottom bunk ticket. And I got it! Wee!!!

Bottom bunks are priced at 327RMB. Middle bunks are 317RMB. While the top bunk tickets are priced at 306RMB.  How would you know your bunk placement, besides looking at the price? Look at the upper right of the ticket for these characters: 上 (top), 中 (middle), and 下 (bottom).

There’s a mini table between the beds. Below the mini table, guests are provided with hot water in thermos bottles throughout the trip. When I say mini table, I mean mini table. Knees are able to touch each other. If you are travelling alone, you might as well chat up your bunk buddies, so you won’t feel harassed by some random stranger.

Because we are inside an enclosed space, obviously, smoking is not allowed. But there were still some naughty people who clearly did not understood what no smoking means. The awful thing was, the train staff seemed powerless to stop those naughty lawbreakers. There were 2 instances I felt my life flashed before my eyes. One was when our train would slow down to give way to the coming faster train. Second was when I saw those smoke swirls moving towards me. [Ok, I'm being overdramatic here.]

Just tell me if this sign isn’t that obvious.

By the way, you could put your luggage in the overhead compartments. You just have to do some major acrobatics to put them there.

I’m iffy with the idea of my stuff out in the open, so I placed mine below my bed. And made sure it stays there!

11pm Mandatory lights out. And they just left us all in darkness until the next morning.

There are facilities in the train to make your stay as comfortable as possible. There’s a restaurant car in the end. A food cart man. An initially clean WC. And my favorite–the hot water tank!

For the restaurant car, only 3 kinds of meals are sold. You could have a 10RMB noodle soup with fried egg for breakfast. Or you could have the 16RMB buffet breakfast. For dinner, there’s the 30RMB beef noodle soup which includes 4 plates of appetizers and a glass of soy milk. If you want something different, you can consult the menu. Picture-taking is not allowed inside the restaurant car. The kitchen, too, I believe; because the cook slammed the door infront of my face when he saw my camera.

But because I’m being el cheapo here, I brought bread for my breakfast. Another thing is, if you are travelling alone, you wouldn’t want to go elsewhere lugging around your stuff. So better bring along your own food.

The Shanghai-Beijing timetable is as follows:

Beijing to Shanghai is 1,463 km (914 miles).  All trains shown here are daily. VERY IMPORTANT!!! D31 and D32 arrive and depart at the Beijing South station, not main station.

So what’s my conclusion after arrving in Beijing? If you want to save on money, hard sleeper T trains are actually good enough. You won’t die riding them. Also, it is best to reserve tickets 5 to 10 days before departure. The English-speaking window is located at Window 10.

Do you have questions? Shoot away!

Up next: What to do in Beijing if you just have a few days?