Beijing to Shanghai and back at different speeds

With more trains, flights, buses and ride-sharing options available from Beijing to Shanghai than ever before, travelers looking to spend some time in China’s “Magic City” have plenty of options.

Speed matters when you are on track for a faster arrival.

But with most reasonably priced flights already booked or elevated in price last month as I was searching for the best way to get from the capital to the annual Shanghai Masters tennis tournament, I settled on another popular option: the train.

As a foreigner having lived in China for only five months at the time, the option seemed simple enough on the surface. A train is a train, or so I thought.

Then I learned about the highspeed bullet train, which, compared with its 170 kilometer-per-hour counterpart, moves at a blazing 350 km/h (217 mph), cutting the normally 12-hour commute from Beijing to Shanghai to just under five hours.

To get the full experience, I tried both the overnighter and the highspeed train for the weekend trip to watch the tennis. I used the overnight train on the way to Shanghai

Chris Kudialis and the high-speed train returning to Beijing. The experiences couldn’t have been much more different.

The forest green overnight train from the outside looks a little cramped but not too bad. Through an outside window, two sets of bunk-style beds are visible. They’re about an arm’s reach from one another, and the lower beds appear to have ample room for their passengers to sit upright and stretch out. I assume the upper bed also has enough space, but can’t see the room’s ceiling from outside the train looking into the window.

As I enter the train with my colleague and travel buddy, we walk past some foldout chairs and table tops attached to the far wall in the main aisle. On our left, we pass more than a dozen sleeper cars before finding ours. I’m surprised to discover the two sets of bunk beds have three beds each instead of two.

My ticket, I find, is for the very top bed. After carefully climbing my way up there, using small metal ledges that fold out from the wall, I cram into my assigned accommodation for the next 12 hours. The ceiling is too low for me to sit up, and the bed is so narrow, that one of my arms hangs off the side. Thankfully, fresh sheets, pillows and blankets are provided, and the air conditioning unit located near the ceiling keeps the room from getting too hot.

My travel partner is in the lower bed in the same row. Between us, a woman crawls into her reserved middle bed and falls asleep within minutes of getting on the train. An arm’s reach away, another stranger climbs up to the top bed on the other side and also dozes off. I take that as my cue to sleep, too.

Before long, we arrive in Shanghai. I’ve worked hard to sleep the entire time to avoid hitting my head on the ceiling and make the time pass by faster.

I’m a little nauseous from some of the bumps along the way, but at least we saved some money on this trip: the overnight train costs 514 yuan ($73) compared to 553 yuan for the bullet train.

The high-speed train back to Beijing is comfortable and smooth. We’re sitting straight up this time, and our seats can recline some 45 degrees. If I stood in the aisle, I probably couldn’t reach the ceiling even if I jumped and extended my arm.

Train attendants pass up and down the aisle, selling food and drinks and picking up trash. The five hours pass in no time, as I take a quick nap, watch a movie and chat with my travel buddy. After a weekend of long travel and enjoyable tennis, we’re both surprised at how fast time passes on the highspeed train.

I’m glad to have tried both trains. But when given the choice, spending a few extra yuan is worth the faster commute and especially the extra space.

XINHUA