I'm curious now, if Business Class offers lie flat seats and individual TVs, how long a ride can it be? I feel like you'd have to be traveling quite a distance for a high speed train to take so long that lie flat seats need to be offered.You probably already know this, but you will need your passport to buy a ticket. This is a relatively new rule, and I almost got caught out last year when I tried to buy a ticket in the Shanghai station without mine. I ended up arguing that my Global Entry card was just about the same as a passport, identification-wise, and after several huddled consultations with supervisory staff, they decided to let me on! Security at Shanghai involves both a metal detecting wand of one's person and xray of your luggage, so be sure to keep metal items off your person till after security or you will get a free, if impersonal, massage. Again, I would guess Ningbo has similar security.
There are three classes of travel: second class, first class, and business class. The difference between second class and first class is that second class seating is three and two, so you might end up in the middle seat. The seats are okay on legroom, but they are pretty narrow. First class seats are better in width and legroom, and a bit more padded, and they feature an outlet at every seat pair that works with Chinese, European, or North American plugs. The price difference is minimal, so I'd pick first class for the greater seat comfort. For the ultimate in train seat comfort, though, think about business class. They have two and two lie-flat seats, with snacks and an economy-airline-quality meal included on the Shanghai-Beijing run--I would guess the same would be true on Ningbo-Nanjing. Business class also has some amenities provided--the ubiquitous disposable slippers, eyeshades, and a blanket. The price increase for business class is pretty substantial, so I personally do not think it is worth the money for lie-flat seats for such a short time. But YMMV.
There is a buffet car on the train where you can buy snacks and instant noodles, available to all classes of passengers. Food quality is not the selling point here; eat first or afterwards and just snack on the train.
The train is surprisingly smooth and quiet, so quiet that I don't bother with noise-cancelling headphones. In business class you have your own foldout TV monitor for watching Chinese TV; in the other cabins there is a TV monitor suspended from the the ceiling of the car. Personally I bring my own electronica for amusement.
This train will spoil you for ordinary train travel, I'm afraid...
You don't necessarily even need curvature or grade separations for high speed rail. And I really have no idea how your first officer got the impression that high speed trains are exclusively maglev, since it's basically the other way around - there are only a couple operational maglev trains in the world, and it is a vastly harder and more complex technology to implement than conventional rails. :huh:I just finished my trip and I have to say the Chinese trains are quite impressive. They were fast, smooth, and on time. The biz seats were nice too. Now if only we could have this in the US...
When we got down to the platform one of my first officers stated we must not be on a high speed since all the track was just simple steel rails. High speed trains after all have to float on magnets. I had to go all AU on him and explain curvature and grade seperations and all that. I definitely got to fly my train geek flag.
Enter your email address to join: