Thousands of Miles By Rail in a Day — The Greener Way to Get Mileage?
My extensive China years has made me quite fortunate to be part of the fastest rail network in the world — both by how fast the network has expanded over the past decade, as well as how fast trains run on the network. These days, I can easily switch between Beijing and nearby Tianjin at 217 mph (that’s 350 km/h) and not bat an eye.
The rail network in China is also fortunate to be one of the most affordable. A one-way rail journey from Beijing to Shanghai is as low as £65.— (€ 77.—, US$ 87.50, Fr. 81.—) in Second Class, for a ride of 1'318 kilometres. For the same price — slightly a bit more — you travel merely just over 33% of the route between London and Paris on the Eurostar. This means that a High Speed trip in China is much more affordable than those on the continent.
Even here, if time is factored in, stress levels are considerably lower on trains than at airports. Invasive security checks are far more likely at airports than at rail hubs (although in China, the two are almost the same calibre, but airports still have more thorough checks). You also get to benefit from no-nonsense boarding, where the moment the doors slide shut, the train departs — none of this tarmac delay nonsense. Finally, there are no “tablets and phones only” rule for the first and last 15 minutes of your journey, no device must be in Airplane Mode, and more often than not, especially in Europe, you arrive at railway stations in the centre of town.
Misconceptions: “Poor People Travel By Rail”
In 2012, I was lucky enough to travel on a China Railways Type 24 train, apparently a direct import from what used to be East Germany. Them being both Communist states, there wasn’t too much luxury on the rails, and many travelling were obviously locals whom weren’t very much well-off.
Today, China’s new “Smart” HSR trains feature Business Class Suites, a one-of-a-kind experience. Like an exclusive airport entrance, new High Speed hubs come with exclusive entrances for passengers travelling in Business Class, with dedicated security, ticket, and ID check lines, and none of the “Oi! Hurry up!” experience from yesteryear.
Onboard, these seats offer you your own world, complete with lie-flat seats, wireless charging, a huge screen, and the option, on most trains, to operate your partition door for absolute privacy.
If pricing is the sole factor, budget airlines might be considered as what the “really poor” travel with, although here, that kind of labelling would definitely be inconsiderate.
Misconceptions: “The Train is Too Slow”
My many years in China, but also Europe, suggest otherwise. 300–350 km/h is easily attainable in either geography.
To China, 300 km/h is considered “normal” High Speed Rail, and many lines use the “default” 300 km/h speed limit. On lines with visible patronage, to save more people time (and also as it makes economic sense), trains go all the way up to 350 km/h.
Even on trains that aren’t that fast, they’re a great replacement for other modes of transport. I usually don’t use the Beijing Subway to go to northwestern Beijing — I start out my journey from Beijing North to Qinghe, allowing me to get some work done at the station lounge and the 20 minutes I’m onboard (10 minutes before boarding, 10 minutes during the ride). This allows me to get my meetings sorted in good time — instead of being squashed on Beijing Subway trains. (And nope, laptops onboard Subway trains in Beijing are an alien phenomenon, unlike London.)
Most people who are of this opinion will have probably seen the ‘really’ slow trains — that take over a week to do Beijing-Moscow, or days to move across America. However, High Speed and even faster non-HSR routes are making a difference. Even in Laos, trips between the capital Vientiane and the picturesque city of Luang Prabang is much faster by rail (not even 2 hours) and bus (10 hours). In this case, the line in Laos is not even half as fast as China’s HSR routes (160 km/h vs 350 km/h), and the differences are already very much felt.
Misconceptions: “Sleepers are Alien to Me”
That one last bit really gets to me.
Sleepers are, by far, one of the very best inventions on the rails — and off it, too. For an affordable price tag, you get a proper bed (none of this cramped make-do in Economy Class), and the promise you’ll be moving even when you’re dozing off.
The recent start of operations for sleepers between Zürich, Switzerland, and Amsterdam, the Netherlands, marked the start of more such services planned across Europe. From Zürich today, it’s already possible to travel into Eastern Europe by sleeper; a similar service for Spain is planned.
The sleeper ticket itself is both a travel and an accommodation ticket — no extra hotel bookings or bills needed! This is the revolutionary bit about it to quite a lot of people.
Play your cards right, and sleepers are a great way to get business done without spending too much on hotel bills or being forced to travel during the day (and taking up more time). Before the pandemic, sleepers were what I took between Beijing and Shenzhen (I used early morning and early evening 15-minute High Speed sprinters between Shenzhen North and Hong Kong West Kowloon).
Thousands of Miles by Rail in a Day
All these reasons above are key reasons why I have stuck with rail through thick and thin. Tallied in an Apple Numbers spreadsheet is a colossal 505'622 km over 4'321 journeys — likely not the full number of actual journeys completed!
It’s very possible to do a full Beijing-Shanghai “out” and “return” the same day without even using sleepers. The 07:00 service out from Beijing South “lands” in Shanghai just before noon. At the same time, the 19:00 out from Shanghai gets you back in the capital before midnight. That gives you 7 hours in Shanghai — for meetings, pleasure, or just to geek out with close to 3'000 km (around 1'800 miles) of rail miles done for that day.
If you want to take this to more extreme lengths, try Beijing-Changsha (capital of the province of Hu’nan). I did 3'200 km between Beijing West and Changsha South in one day in 2017 — to and back. And, of course, got plenty of work done enroute.
It’s time to forget Heathrow and head to St Pancras instead. After all, I did once explode into tears upon being ‘locked in’ the endlessly complex moving walkway system at LHR. St P is a place for relaxation — and I used to do a lot of that at the café with the Eurostar platforms to the continent right in front of me. And I smiled every time I heard a train leave or arrive.
And so should you, too.
