Due to partial relocation, Chinese trains are going to be a regular part of my future, much to my excitement.
Chinese sleeper trains, from my perspective, have something of a legendary reputation: crowded, crazy and not for the faint hearted - and definitely not for those who lack the ability to squat. At $125 a ticket (this price point earns you a bunk), it definitely beats the Acela.
Thankfully, the new Fuxing high speed sleepers deployed on high value routes across China upgrade the experience somewhat, while retaining some of that storied craziness. From what I understand, these are the only high speed sleeper trains in the world. Hong Kong has long been connected to China via rail but it was only in 2018 - with the opening of the gargantuan West Kowloon station - that the first high speed trains began operating directly. Since then, China Railways has added a vast number of daily high speed departures to most major Chinese cities. In June 2024, CR added two Fuxing HS sleeper routes to HK: Beijing and Shanghai.
The previous night train to Shanghai was a bucket list item for me that I will sadly never get to experience. The last slow sleeper train to depart the 1980's era Hung Hom station was in 2020. The route has since become a Covid casualty with no plans to re-introduce the service. It is now commonly understood that the high speed trains have effectively replaced the slow trains.
Boarding at Shanghai Hongqiao was astonishingly easy.
The station is very simple to navigate, even without any knowledge of Chinese. It is no guarantee that CR officials will speak English however, so be prepared to translate if needed. The train station itself is monstrous - it’s hard to fathom how large Chinese high speed rail stations are until you actually see them. They dwarf every other train station that I’ve seen except for perhaps Tokyo.
We arrived with an hour to spare, but in reality we only needed 20 minutes. In the reverse direction - because of the boarder crossing within HK West Kowloon station - it’s advisable to arrive 90 minutes before your departure.
They open the gates 15 minutes before departure, and the trains leave dead on time. Thankfully, I was easily able to snap a picture of the front of our CRRC built train. China really has to be admired for their fast learning curve with railway technology.
The trains offer three classes: Second class, premium class, and sleeper class.
The sleeper class consists of rooms with four bunks (2 bunk beds) and a small table covered with a table cloth. They provide hot water pot, tissues, as well as some boxed snacks, and a nice flower on the table. The top bunks contained all of the comforters and pillows.
The standard of cleanliness was high - or at least higher than Amtrak roomettes. But that isn't saying a lot. My wife brought a plastic tarp, anchored by heavier in-room objects that provided a clean surface for our toddler.
The food options on the train were plentiful. The dining car had a rather extensive eastern-western hybrid menu, and one has the option to dine-in-room with food delivered. We did not try any food on board the train, as we had had dinner in the city before the 8:15pm departure. Based on what I saw, I would imagine the quality is lower than Amtrak traditional dining, with some surprises here and there. I imagine the quality of food on some of the longer, slower sleeper trains is more comparable to traditional dining. In addition to the dining car, one could pre-order food from establishments at future stations, and a courier would be ready platform-side to deliver it to you during the station stop. Given the hours that the night train runs however, most station establishments were closed.
Because I am more used to Amtrak night trains, the high speed night train took some getting used to. The ride quality was very high (though not to Tokaido Shinkansen levels) and the smooth up and down of slopes at speeds did cause mild nausea at first. When we finally laid down to sleep however, the sickness went away. Unfortunately, the rowdy crowd of mahjong playing seniors never died down - I would imagine Chinese night trains will never disappoint in this respect.
The ride is 11 hours - if you can help it, avoid using the squat toilet. Its an acquired taste that I have yet to acquire. That said, this picture is from the morning. Somehow, this bathroom remained rather clean all things considered.
The train arrived dead on time in West Kowloon station. The platforms are walled off individually, so the 14 other tracks are not visible sadly. The sheer size of the 'train shed' just isn't visible - feels much more like a subway station than anything else. That main hall, as well as the station as a whole, is a true modern marvel, and may be the single most impressive train station in the world (albeit with an unfortunate caveat of CCP dominance). It is very well integrated into the MTR network, and is walking distance from Tsim Sha Tsui and other major malls, attractions, and housing.
Being able to cover 1200 miles in one night is nothing short of incredible (the 1500 mile route to Beijing even more incredible). The fact that none of this existed in 2008 is even more miraculous.
Chinese sleeper trains, from my perspective, have something of a legendary reputation: crowded, crazy and not for the faint hearted - and definitely not for those who lack the ability to squat. At $125 a ticket (this price point earns you a bunk), it definitely beats the Acela.
Thankfully, the new Fuxing high speed sleepers deployed on high value routes across China upgrade the experience somewhat, while retaining some of that storied craziness. From what I understand, these are the only high speed sleeper trains in the world. Hong Kong has long been connected to China via rail but it was only in 2018 - with the opening of the gargantuan West Kowloon station - that the first high speed trains began operating directly. Since then, China Railways has added a vast number of daily high speed departures to most major Chinese cities. In June 2024, CR added two Fuxing HS sleeper routes to HK: Beijing and Shanghai.
The previous night train to Shanghai was a bucket list item for me that I will sadly never get to experience. The last slow sleeper train to depart the 1980's era Hung Hom station was in 2020. The route has since become a Covid casualty with no plans to re-introduce the service. It is now commonly understood that the high speed trains have effectively replaced the slow trains.
Boarding at Shanghai Hongqiao was astonishingly easy.
The station is very simple to navigate, even without any knowledge of Chinese. It is no guarantee that CR officials will speak English however, so be prepared to translate if needed. The train station itself is monstrous - it’s hard to fathom how large Chinese high speed rail stations are until you actually see them. They dwarf every other train station that I’ve seen except for perhaps Tokyo.
We arrived with an hour to spare, but in reality we only needed 20 minutes. In the reverse direction - because of the boarder crossing within HK West Kowloon station - it’s advisable to arrive 90 minutes before your departure.
They open the gates 15 minutes before departure, and the trains leave dead on time. Thankfully, I was easily able to snap a picture of the front of our CRRC built train. China really has to be admired for their fast learning curve with railway technology.
The trains offer three classes: Second class, premium class, and sleeper class.
The sleeper class consists of rooms with four bunks (2 bunk beds) and a small table covered with a table cloth. They provide hot water pot, tissues, as well as some boxed snacks, and a nice flower on the table. The top bunks contained all of the comforters and pillows.
The standard of cleanliness was high - or at least higher than Amtrak roomettes. But that isn't saying a lot. My wife brought a plastic tarp, anchored by heavier in-room objects that provided a clean surface for our toddler.
The food options on the train were plentiful. The dining car had a rather extensive eastern-western hybrid menu, and one has the option to dine-in-room with food delivered. We did not try any food on board the train, as we had had dinner in the city before the 8:15pm departure. Based on what I saw, I would imagine the quality is lower than Amtrak traditional dining, with some surprises here and there. I imagine the quality of food on some of the longer, slower sleeper trains is more comparable to traditional dining. In addition to the dining car, one could pre-order food from establishments at future stations, and a courier would be ready platform-side to deliver it to you during the station stop. Given the hours that the night train runs however, most station establishments were closed.
Because I am more used to Amtrak night trains, the high speed night train took some getting used to. The ride quality was very high (though not to Tokaido Shinkansen levels) and the smooth up and down of slopes at speeds did cause mild nausea at first. When we finally laid down to sleep however, the sickness went away. Unfortunately, the rowdy crowd of mahjong playing seniors never died down - I would imagine Chinese night trains will never disappoint in this respect.
The ride is 11 hours - if you can help it, avoid using the squat toilet. Its an acquired taste that I have yet to acquire. That said, this picture is from the morning. Somehow, this bathroom remained rather clean all things considered.
The train arrived dead on time in West Kowloon station. The platforms are walled off individually, so the 14 other tracks are not visible sadly. The sheer size of the 'train shed' just isn't visible - feels much more like a subway station than anything else. That main hall, as well as the station as a whole, is a true modern marvel, and may be the single most impressive train station in the world (albeit with an unfortunate caveat of CCP dominance). It is very well integrated into the MTR network, and is walking distance from Tsim Sha Tsui and other major malls, attractions, and housing.
Being able to cover 1200 miles in one night is nothing short of incredible (the 1500 mile route to Beijing even more incredible). The fact that none of this existed in 2008 is even more miraculous.
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