Originally Posted by
former230
I guess I am ignorant as to the meaning of differences in the length of the train number. I was just specifically looking for an early morning departure and thus earlier arrival into Shanghai to maximize my time in SH. The schedule I saw indicated that these were amongst the earlier arrival times in SH.
I thought these were arbitrarily assigned train numbers for id purposes only. The letter (G) I do understand the meaning of (G being the fastest trains right now).
The numbers are not quite arbitrary.
The 3 number trains, G101 to G163 are the slowest trains, which take between 5:22 and 5:35. They do so because they make something like 6...7 intermediate stops - all of them stop at Jinan West and Nanjing, but the other 4...5 stops are different for each.
The numbers G31...G43 are direct trains which continue after Hongqiao to Hangzhou. Between Beijing and Shanghai they behave like 3 number trains and take 5:24...5:35.
The numbers G11...G21 are express trains which all make exactly 2 intermediate stops - Jinan West and Nanjing South - all take exactly 4:55 and all depart at full hours, namely 8, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17.
The numbers G1 and G3 are express trains which make 1 intermediate stop at Nanjing South, take 4:48 and depart at full hours 9 and 14.
Thus the full hours with expresses of some kind are 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17.
Since the railway only opens at 7:00, the first stopping train G101 departs 7:00 and arrives 12:23. Whereas the first express G11 departs 8:00 and arrives 12:55 - 32 minutes later, and leaves 60 minutes later in the morning.
Unless you specifically need to be somewhere in Shanghai around 13, you can sleep longer by picking express, non-three-number train.