The rail system is popular in China. Official figures predict a record-breaking 3.41 billion people will ride the train during the 40-day Spring Festival travel season.
In a regular month, approximately 225 million people ride a train within China.
For the most popular routes, passengers line up early to ensure ticket availability. The government has even enacted measures to combat ticket scalping.
To take the train from Beijing to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, is a 36-hour journey.
The Chinese government is proud of its efficient network of trains. They are more efficient than the train network in the U.S. The newest train, which is the longest high-speed railway line in the world, opened at the end of 2012. It allows passengers to travel 1,418 kilometers from Beijing to Guangzhou in only eight hours. An additional high-speed rail service to Yunnan will be completed in 2015.
An example of a mid-level train on the Chinese rail network is the T-61 train, which travels up to 140 kilometers per hour. The rapid development of the train system has eclipsed this train, so its main advantage to travelers is that it comes with a mid-price point ticket. For a second-class sleeping car, a traveler will pay approximately $88, a deal compared to the $250 price point for the new Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed train.
Most Chinese travelers use second-class travel, which means the sleeping compartments consist of six bunks with a compartment door opening directly to the passageways of the train.
Travel becomes a communal affair in these compartments, something not uncommon in a country with a population as large as China. Passengers that take the full 36-hour train move from compartment to compartment, striking up conversations with neighboring strangers.
Conductors are vigilant of passengers, to try to keep the traveling conditions amendable to all passengers, providing quiet when people are trying to sleep and no bright lights.
These trains are also equipped with Wi-Fi and charging stations.
The high-speed line is currently working to connect Kunming and Shanghai, which is scheduled to open in two years, bringing the country closer to the goal of linking southwest China to south-east China by rail.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
