Taking luggage on the trains
 

When one is taking the trains in China, and one has large luggage, where does it get stowed on the train cars? Is there a luggage rack above the seats? Does it go under your seat or in between the rows? Do you put it in a rack at the end of the car, and if so is it safe there? Or do you just put it in the aisle? My husband and I will each have a large rolling duffel bag and a small carry on size tote along with a purse and computer bag.

Will porters at the train stations want to carry the luggage for us to try to get a tip, like at airports? Or is it all self serve?

Inquiring minds want to know to be prepared for the pushing and shoving that ensues when a train pulls into a station and everyone tries to cram onto the train at the same time. I don't want to miss the train.

What type of train are you talking about? High-speed or conventional? Seat or sleeper?

It depends on the time of day & which rail station. BJ south & SH are mega stations to avoid at rush hour. I have only taken D & G trains & have not seen any 'day' porters, but i do know some people hire helpers for a few rmb to assist with luggage. In BJ, its only 2 rmb for a platform only rail ticket, very worthy...

Be prepared for taking a stairs, sometimes the escalators do not work...

On the D & G trains there is a spot at the end of the car for large luggage, also there is quite abet of leg room on most trains between the seats for a small bags when the 'open' overhead is full. the HSR overheads are only about 16 " deep.

I used to use a standard 15 X 22 " rollerboard and a large dell computer bag. It was tooo much.( stairs, people etc. ) So i bought a new 15 X 22 " rollerboard with an exterior computer bag slot so as to have just one piece of luggage, then i can use my elbow & forearm to navigate the people chaos.

Lots of gate lice in china with any type of transportation.

From what I can tell, the majority of stations along the new Jinghu HSR are brand new, so I would presume that escalators/elevators do work. They certainly do at both end points (BJ and SH).

On HSR trains there is usually a rack above the seat for carryon size luggage. For anything larger your options are:

Wedge it in the space behind the last row in a first class car. There is a big space behind the last row

Leave it in the entry area of the car near the doors, there is space there.

Keep you baggage in the aisle next to you

Can be a brutal experience if you are using stations/platforms with no escalators. Porters are not readily available though they do exist in some stations.

In Tianjin the new stations are so new that the escalators aren't ever running.

To be honest, I would expect arriving to no working escalator. It seems that every train trip these days I'm carrying my suitcases down or up stairs. The exception is Hongqiao, which is great.

In terms of the luggage you have the option of putting it at the end of the car in a luggage storage area or behind the last seats in some cases. You can't really see the bags here so it's at your own rish. I've never had a problem, but there is sigificant risk involved.

Also, the overhead area can hold the bags most likely, and with your husband's help shouldn't be much of a problem. If there isn't space the train attendants will help you. It's always a fun experience on the K trains when there are bags of rice and such on the overhead racks and the angry attendants come to make space. However, I strongly doubt the highly qualified 'beauties' will be able to help you any more than your husband.

The station usually opens up the platform 15 min or so before departure. It's always busy so be prepared, even when the train has a small load

We will be taking D and G trains between Shanghai-Nanjing-Suzhou-Hangzhou.
I will try to avoid rush hours for traveling, aiming for trains either late morning or mid afternoon.

If the luggage is left in the entry area of the cars are there racks for it or does it just pile up in the aisles? Should I lock the luggage so no one rifles through it? Has there ever been problems with another passenger walking off with someone else's luggage, stealing it, if it is out of sight?

When the train pulls into a station that's not the end of the line, how long do you have to get your luggage down, make your way to the door, and get off the train? Is it like the Shinkansen in Japan, where the trains only stop for a minute and you have to jump on and off really fast? Does one want to make their way to the door 5-10 minutes before the train stops?

I don't think the time of day will make a significant change in anything, except your chances of getting seats on the next train. There is a schedule they follow, and I don't think that the station will be overflowing that much.

The luggage situation is kind of like that on Amtrak with a space at the end of each car where you can put the big bags - if you leave it on a rack it has the risk of being stolen. Again, not likely, but possible.

The schedules for all the trains are online and they should arrive and depart somewhat on schedule. I don't know what site you use in English, but train.qunar.com is good and I think a non-Chinese reader can figure it out (although you mention knowledge of Japanese so that should make it possible, I believe). Just type in Shanghai - Nanjing, or whatever and the list will come up and you can see how long the train stops at each station. Generally they will let you down onto the tracks 10 minutes before the train will leave. It's enough time, just be aware of which car your ticket is for and it's location on the tracks and you should be fine

This is the web site I've been using to see train numbers, times, and fares

http://cnvol.com/

Are there numbers and lines painted on the train platforms that correspond to where the car number will stop, like in Japan? I can just see us running like mad down a train platform, dragging luggage, among a throng of people to get on to the correct car if it stops farther down from where we happen to be standing. Since Chinese don't seem to wait in lines, it looks like it's every man/woman for himself to board the trains.

Will the Chinese let the people off the train when it stops before they try to push on to the train? There was a time once in London, I think, where my husband and I had our luggage with us while riding the tube. I made it on to the train with my suitcase but he didn't due to all the people coming off the cars not letting him on. The doors closed and the train left with him standing on the platform. I got off at the next stop and waited for him to come on the next one, then I joined him.

I just have this vision of us getting pushed aside by the hordes traveling. I'm going to have to concentrate on upper body strength in my workouts so I can push and shove with the best of them. This may be where my husband's karate training might come in handy.

I'm going to keep my luggage in sight. I'll have the hubbster hoist it up onto the overhead racks by our seats; I'm not leaving it at the end of the cars to potentially be at significant risk to be stolen. Thanks for that advice.

Save that for the Beijing Jianguomen Subway Station at rush hour.

HSR isn't such a mad house.

Correct assessment, it's every person for themselves. Best not to take any luggage along that you can't manage yourself. I've never seen any platform guide numbers to tell you where to stand, but usually at the largest stations and at origin stations, the train is already at the platform before passengers are allowed to access it. Carriage numbers will be on the outside and are sequential so looking at any two adjacent carriages, it's pretty obvious whether you should head one way or the other to get to your own.

It's physically impossible for large luggage (say 24"+) to fit in the overhead racks on most trains. And you're not going to be able to keep it in the aisles, unless you are at one of the ends where there is one less seat therefore some additional floor space. On day trains, I've put my oversized in the open luggage closets/racks at the car ends, and never had a problem with theft. But then, I'm not packing valuables in that luggage. On sleeper cars especially in soft sleeper, you have more leeway to park that luggage on the floor space in your own compartment.

what happens at Jianguomen?
 

Is that because a lot of average Chinese cannot afford to ride the HSR trains?

What is near that Beijing subway station that it gets so crowded? The Cap Ren hotel we are staying at appears to be closest to either the Guomao Station or Shuangjing Station. I can't tell from the map which is the one to use for that hotel.

It's just that the CRH trains are not crowded at all by Chinese standards...sure they will push to get on, but it's so orderly compared to rush hour on the subway. Since you're not taking a K or T train you don't have to worry about 100 people standing in the aisle of your car.

What Jiejie mentions about the trains already being there is true for Shanghai Hangzhou trains always. It's a mad rush from the waiting room to the track itself, but getting on the train is a non issue. One point of advice - check which side of the train your seat is on before lugging all the luggage aboard. If your seat is on the other end of the coach it might be annoying trying to get it all down the aisle

Our duffels are longer than 24". Can we turn them sideways and put on the overhead racks if there is space? Maybe when I send someone from the hotels to buy our tickets for us I'll have them request the seats in the end row so there is room on the floor for them. Or we'll put the bags on the floor under our legs and use it for a footrest.

It's not so much that our valuables will be in the duffels, they won't, they'll be in the small carryon. It's just that everything we have with us on the trip will be in the duffels. If the whole bag was to be stolen we'd be SOL. When I've taken a train in any country I never let my luggage out of my sight. And that would include the US if I was to ever take Amtrak.

[QUOTE=susiesan;16928681]I'm going to keep my luggage in sight. I'll have the hubbster hoist it up onto the overhead racks by our seats; I'm not leaving it at the end of the cars to potentially be at significant risk to be stolen. QUOTE]

These luggage cable locks come in handy. Keeps people from easily walking
off with your bags. Seems you can always find something to attach
it to.

http://www.luggagepros.com/eagle-cre...nd-cable.shtml