China's high-speed trains: buying tickets and using them without surprises

China has the largest high-speed rail network on the planet: more than 45,000 kilometres of track carrying trains at 300 and 350 km/h. In practice that means you can have breakfast in Beijing and lunch in Xi'an, or cover Shanghai to Hangzhou in under an hour. It is by far the most comfortable and punctual way to move around the country, provided you understand four things: which train you are catching, how the ticket is bought, what role your passport plays and how much time to allow at the station.

What a Chinese high-speed train is, and what it isn't

The label gaotie (高铁, literally high-speed rail) applies to lines designed to run at 250 km/h or more. It is not a specific service, it is infrastructure: some lines were built from scratch for high speed and others were upgraded afterwards. For the traveller this matters in one respect only: not every fast train is fast for its whole route, and some sections run at conventional speed.

What they all share is punctuality. The rate of delays over five minutes is around one per cent on the main eastern lines. Trains leave and arrive on time, and this changes how you plan completely: you can chain one city in the morning and another in the afternoon without leaving a huge safety buffer.

The conventional network, with numbers beginning with K, T or Z, still exists and is far cheaper, but it is another world: slower, with sleeper berths and an experience less designed for the Western traveller. In remote areas it is sometimes the only option, and it is worth knowing about, but it is not what most visitors are looking for.

The three train types: G, D and C

The first letter of the train number indicates the type of service, and it is the single most useful piece of the whole Chinese naming system. Learn it and you will stop being confused by the departure boards.

• G (Gaotie, 高铁) — pure high speed, up to 350 km/h on the best lines. The fastest and also the most expensive. Example: G2 Beijing-Shanghai, about four and a half hours.
• D (Dongche, 动车) — more moderate high speed, up to 250 km/h. They run on slightly older lines or mixed sections, and usually offer more departures at lower prices.
• C (Chengji, 城际) — intercity, short hops between nearby cities, with very high frequency: sometimes every fifteen or twenty minutes.
• No letter, or K, T and Z — the conventional network. Slower and cheaper, with overnight sleeper berths on some routes.

Practical rule: if two trains cover the same route and one is a G and the other a D, the time difference can be an hour and the price difference around thirty per cent. It is worth comparing before you book, especially on journeys of more than four hours.

Classes and seats: what each one means

On G and D trains there are three usual classes. The Chinese names are almost always translated the same way, and it is worth knowing what you are buying before you pay:

On sleeper trains, both D and conventional overnight services, there is also soft sleeper (软卧) and hard sleeper (硬卧), besides the hard seat (硬座). Soft sleeper is four berths per compartment with a door; hard sleeper is six berths open to the corridor. For a long overnight journey, soft is worth the difference.

Two details that surprise visitors from Europe and North America: nearly every train has a power socket per row and a food trolley, and on many a cart comes round with a hot breakfast or lunch. You don't need to bring dinner with you.

How to buy tickets from the UK, US or Australia

There are three routes and it is worth knowing all three, because each has its moment.

1. The official 12306 app from China Railway. It is the original source and charges no commission, but the English interface is patchy and passport registration sometimes fails.
2. International platforms such as Trip.com, with a clean English interface and a small commission. The most convenient option if you want to do it yourself.
3. Your travel agency. At ChinaTour.es, the English-language site of the JoyoTour group, we buy the tickets, choose seats together for the group and have them waiting in the app or delivered to your hotel before you arrive.

One key fact: tickets are released about fifteen days in advance, not months ahead as in Europe. Over public holidays such as October's Golden Week or Chinese New Year, they sell out in minutes. If you travel on those dates, booking is not an option, it is a requirement.

Your passport is your ticket

China runs on named tickets. To buy a train ticket you need your passport number, and that number is tied to the ticket. There is no bearer ticket: you cannot buy one and have someone else use it. If you travel as a group, every person needs their own.

Since 2020 the paper ticket is no longer obligatory. With your passport in hand you pass the automatic gates: you place the passport on the reader, look at the camera and the gate opens if the ticket matches. At the big stations there is a counter for foreigners where staff help if the reader does not recognise the document.

Mind the name: it must be written exactly as in your passport, without accents or hyphens, as it appears in the machine-readable zone. If it doesn't match, the gate won't open and you have to go to customer service with extra time to spare.

At the station: security and timing

Chinese high-speed stations are large, modern and work like a small airport. Before you reach the platform you pass a security check: bags go through X-ray and you walk through a scanner, much as at an airport. There is no liquid restriction as on flights, but items such as large lighters or big aerosols are removed.

The recommended time is sixty minutes before departure at medium stations and ninety at the big ones, such as Shanghai Hongqiao, Beijing South or Guangzhou South. It is not just the queue: you have to find the waiting hall, clear security, locate the platform and sometimes change level between the concourse and the track.

Boarding begins about fifteen minutes before departure and closes five minutes before. After that the gate does not open, even if the train is still there. It is a strict rule that does not bend, so treat the gate closing time as the real departure time.

Luggage: what you can and can't take

Unlike on planes, on high-speed trains there is no strict weight limit and no baggage fee. Each passenger can bring one large item and one small carry-on. What is checked is size and contents.

• Large suitcase: yes, as long as you can handle it yourself. There is no check-in service at most stations.
• Liquids: allowed, without the hundred-millilitre rule of flights.
• Sharp objects and large aerosols: removed at the security check.
• Pets: banned except guide dogs, and with prior reservation.
• Bicycles: must be folded and packed; on many trains they are not accepted without a cover.

Luggage racks run above the seats and at the end of each carriage. At peak times space runs out, so reach the platform early and board without rushing.

Changes, refunds and delays

High-speed tickets can be changed or refunded, under clear rules. A change of date or time can be made once before departure, usually at no cost if seats are available, though a small fee applies in some cases. Refunds carry charges that grow the closer you get to departure: free up to eight days before, then rising percentages in the final twenty-four hours.

Because the network is so punctual, long delays are rare. When they happen, the operator refunds or rebooks passengers. If your train is cancelled, you are entitled to a change or a full refund at the customer service counter.

One tip: if you need to make a change and don't speak Chinese, it is faster in the app than at the counter. And while we are on the subject, if you booked with us a single message is enough: we handle it so you don't have to queue.

Getting to the station: metro and taxis

High-speed stations are usually on the outskirts, not in the historic centre. In Shanghai, Hongqiao station connects to metro lines 2, 10 and 17, as well as the airport. In Beijing, the South Station has lines 4 and 14. In Guangzhou, the South Station sits on line 2. In most cities the metro reaches practically to the door.

If you are carrying luggage, consider a taxi or a private transfer. ChinaTour.es includes private transfers from the airport and between the station and the hotel, with a driver who waits at arrivals holding a sign with your name. It is the way to avoid the tangle of taxis and the queues with suitcases, especially on your first day.

If you take a taxi, always use the meter or an app such as DiDi. At stations there are official ranks: do not accept offers from drivers who approach you away from the rank, because either they will not use the meter or they will charge an inflated flat fare.

Five mistakes foreign travellers make

We see them every week. Almost all come from assuming China works the way it does at home.

1. Thinking you can buy the day before. In Europe you can; in China, on holidays, you cannot. Book fifteen days ahead.
2. Arriving twenty minutes early, as for a short domestic flight. Here it is sixty to ninety minutes.
3. Believing the passport is only identification. It is the ticket. Without it, there is no journey.
4. Buying second class without comparing. On a six-hour route, first costs a little more and is well worth it.
5. Getting off at the wrong station. Many cities have several: North, South, East. Check the full name on your ticket.

With all of this settled, the Chinese high-speed train is probably the best long-distance transport in the world: quiet, punctual and simple to use.