Originally Posted by
Billy Mumphrey
I used a popular train ticket booking service to get train tickets from Shanghai Hongqiao train station to Hangzhou on Sept 21. They are advising me to arrive 2 hours prior to the train's departure (only 1 hour train ride) due to crowding around the time of the "Chinese National holidays". My understanding was that this was in October, however.
Can anyone advise whether 2 hours in advance is really necessary when we are just picking up the tickets from an internet order? It seems extreme but we'll do it if we really need to.
I usually shoot for t-15, but have cut it VERY close in the past. Since this is presumably your first time, t-30 wouldn't be a bad idea.
But, your track number is printed in your ticket, so you'll know exactly where to go. Track 1 is the furthest away from the subway station, while ~30 is the closest. The walk from the subway station to track one is a solid 5 minutes.
I don't think 9/21 should be any more crowded than normal. There are two fall holidays, but Zhongqiu occurred early this year. The "popular train booking service" seems to be confused.