FlyerTalk Forums - Beijing Capital Airlines

Quote:

Originally Posted by stockmanjr (Post 22588882)

I'm considering that route as well . My understanding is the train from Hohot arrives ERL in the morning and departs for UB in the evening 2x weekly is this still a slow train once it crosses into Mongolia? I was planning to join it in ERL. I've read up on the lack of any sort of order for train tickets in ZU so I'm expecting to let the New Yorker in me out in order to get what I need :) Any budget hotel suggestions in ERL? Saw a suggestion for a place that was charging RMB 100 and seemed decent.
Cheers
Howie

There is a year-round daily hard-seat only train Hohhot-Erlian dep 10:00 arr 19:26 but nobody sane who just wants to get between the two cities would use this method. There is that 2x weekly K33 (may be seasonal only) dep Hohhot 22:50 arrive Erlian 06:36. Then all day in Erlian dep 18:00 arr Zamyn-Uud 18:25 dep 22:25 arr UB 11:15. Note layover time at Z-U. The problem is, I've never heard of anyone being able to buy an international ticket in Erlian all the way to UB. I have heard of being able to buy a ticket only from Erlian to Zamyn Uud, but still having to get off there and requeue up at the Z-U ticket office for the onward ZU-UB segment. So if you have new information that confirms that you can now buy a single ticket all the way from Erlian to UB, that would be useful to share your source. Otherwise, it makes more sense to just cross the border manually using the Jeep Maneuver, preferably in the morning, and maximize your chance of getting on the late afternoon train out ZU-UB....which BTW I understand is now a daily departing between 17:30 and 18:00, arriving UB around 08:00.

To your other questions: 1) All trains are standard (slow) rail but if you get a sleeper for that segment you should be fine. Go for the best category of sleeper available--it's still cheap. 2) If you're a New Yorker you'll do America proud in the ticket queue. :D 3) Don't have any specific recommendations for hotel in Erlian but certainly you can find something acceptable for RMB 100. There's been LOTS of new building in Erlian in the last several years and with increase in trading going back and forth, has more facilities for overnight travelers than ever before.

Quote:

Originally Posted by moondog (Post 22588907)

I get the fact that he'll need to try his luck at the ticket counters on the Mongolia side of the border (and might end up having to spend a day or two in miserable lodging), but the train that starts in Beijing is presumably fair game, right?

No I don't think you can join that train in Zamyn Uud. I'm not even sure there's any Mongolian carriages for ZU-UB domestic appended to the international train coming from BJ.