Originally Posted by
weather
Hi,
We've traveled by high speed train numerous times in China and you won't have a problem that you can't figure out...just allow yourself a bit of extra time. Your hotel will purchase tickets for you for a small fee and its worth every penny as we only speak English too. The stations are huge and you have to watch the boards for your train number and boarding gate. Be prepared to move quickly when the gate is opened for your train as it can almost be a stampede and when you get down to the platform you have to figure out where to stand for your cabin...that was biggest problem that we had, but there are many helpful English speaking travelers that will help you out. Make sure you book first class as you'll have a nice assigned seat with big windows to view the countryside.
1. As I mentioned twice previously, the track number is written on the ticket for G and D trains at least
2. The tickets also show your car and seat number. Since the cars are clearly numbered, it is pretty easy to find the correct one. For station stops (i.e. when you get to the platform before the train, simply show your ticket to a train official, and they will advise where to stand)
3. I buy first class for shortish trips, but for SH-BJ, I have a hard time justifying the extra expense (it's almost always possible to fly on a desirable flight for less than Y950)