BEIJING TRAIN STATION (北京站)

Overview: Beijing has several railway stations. Do not confuse the Beijing Train Station with the Beijing West Station. The Beijing Railway Station combines Chinese architecture with a modern flare. It's located within the 2nd ring of Beijing, just a few blocks east of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. It's an importation hub in Beijing's railway system and has several different lines, including a few lines to Shanghai. A visit to the grounds of the Beijing Railway Station and a train ride to Shanghai is a very worthwhile trip in itself. You can experience Beijing life at the station by people watching, buying some refreshments at the vendor stalls and watch the water fountain show. Yes, there's a huge water fountain that spits up water. You'll also be able to see much of the country on train ride from Beijing to Shanghai.

Types and Classes

The Beijing Railway Station offers, as far as a trip to Shanghai goes, D, T and Z trains. These are fast trains (not the super highspeed trains) that can reach up to about 180 km/hour. Each either has a "soft sleeper" or "hard sleeper." The soft sleepers are compartments or rooms with beds, usually four. The beds are stacked in twos. There is a higher bunk and a lower bunk on either side of the compartment.

I've taken both the soft sleeper on the Z Train and the hard seat on the D31 Train. The soft sleeper is great to pass the night by sleeping and saving money on hotel expenses. But, you get very train-lagged (jet lagged). The D31 Train during the day is great because you are able to see some of China's country side. D31 Train's hard seat is actually like a business class airplane seats with cushions and ample leg room.

Plan about a half a day (12 hours) to reach Shanghai from Beijing on one of these trains. You should be at the train station platforms about 30 minutes before the trains arrive. In the case of the D31 Train to Shanghai, the platform is number 6.

Contact: No.A13, Maojiawan Hutong, Dongcheng District (东城区毛家湾胡同甲13号), http://www.bjrailwaystation.com.cn/

Schedules: There are several different times that the Z trains leave the Beijing Railway Station but all leave about 7:30pm and arrive in Shanghai around 6:00am to 7:00am the next morning.

The D31 Train in Beijing departs at 10:50am and arrives at the Shanghai station around 9:00pm the same day.

COST:
Z Trains - just shy of 500 yuan and childen's tickets are about 340 yuan.

T Trains - soft sleeper is about 900 yuan

D Trains - soft seat is about 375 yuan and the hard seat costs 327 yuan.