Right, we are fine with normal "luxury" level. Girlfriend just wants our own spot without strangers sleeping above us. It comes out of her shopping budget so, oh well! (don't tell her I said that!)

You want to take the Z trains, not the T. The T may not have the deluxe soft sleeper and I think they use older trainset. Also, the intermediate stops are not good for sleeping - you'll wake up.

Really no reason to take the Ts if you're going from Beijing to Shanghai.

That contradicts what I've read, specifically on seat61.com . It say the T is the only one that has the deluxe 2berth sleepers.

Hm... I just read that on seat61.com. Their information is probably up-to-date.

I can assure you that I have seen deluxe berths on Z trains (I'm back up to speed with the terminology now, thanks to rkkwan, so don't worry about that), though not on every train.

Back when I used to do the train commute on a regular basis, the most important criteria for me was the operating company. Basically, you want to get the Shanghai-based company because their trainsets are much nicer (to the extent that the availability of deluxe becomes moot). My favorite feature of these trains is the nice bar cars; you are bound to meet interesting people there and you can count on cold beer until around 11p (v. 930 on the rest).

It's been so long since I've taken a train that I can't offer any more specific advice regarding train numbers, but the people at the ticket window should be able to clue you in if you ask nicely (don't say directly that you want a SH train if you're buying in BJ because there is a lot of jealousy there; just ask what train is the most popular and go for it).

If you look at seat61.com about Beijing - Xian, deluxe soft sleeper is still offered on that Z train. I guess the regular soft sleeper between Beijing and Shanghai is just so much more popular than the deluxe, they decide to remove the deluxe on that train.

The cost for the deluxe is just not competitive with flying in most markets, contributing to low ridership. I know on the "direct" T trains between Hong Kong and Shanghai or Beijing that the deluxe are often empty.

Ok, this is good to know. Shouldn't be a problem getting a deluxe then.

So do all of you recommend getting the train tickets once we arrive in Beijing, or getting them now through a tour company at an inflated price?

The former, no question.

Thanks!

1) As soon as you arrive in Beijing, make arrangements to get the train tickets. I don't recommend wasting time at the station yourself--get your hotel to do it for a small add-on fee, or if you are near one of the satellite ticket offices go there for a no-hassle experience. If you have accommodations set up already, email them with your requirements and see if they will buy tickets for you and what the "commission" will be. Tickets only go on sale 5 or 10 days beforehand, and sleepers are always subject to selling out, so if you will not be in Beijing for long, an advance purchase by somebody local is a good idea.

2) There is no guarantee that a particular T train on a particular date will be carrying the deluxe soft sleepers, and you won't find out for sure until the day before, which is really gambling if you are on a fixed schedule. I personally would select a Z train and upper + lower berths in a standard soft sleeper compartment. It is safe and comfortable. Normally anybody else travelling soft-sleeper and sharing your compartment will be a solid middle-class type Chinese citizen or official, or perhaps other foreigners. Check out this thread for more detailed info, and in particular note the comments by poster "Ellyse", who is a friend of mine and one of the most experienced Chinese-train travellers I know, particularly the BJ-Shanghai route.

3) Especially in the last half of November and December, Beijing airport is subject to significant delays from fog. If you happen to be scheduled for air travel on a day that turns out to be foggy, you could go nowhere fast. The trains will run regardless, so stick with this mode of transport.

AFIK, this bit is not true. Train schedules are quite rigid. Every train is either a BJ train or an SH train and they operate in isolation. Moreover, any train that offers deluxe (at the 5 day mark) is going to haul a deluxe car (with or without pax); the marginal cost of doing so is probably less than $500. I have a friend in the business who keeps me abreast of the way things (are supposed) to work.

Having said that, I still remain an advocate of the faster/nicer trains. Privacy has never been much of a priority for me, though I have fond memories of the one time I did deluxe (between Kuche and Turpan) while my friends sweated it out in the seats... perhaps the best $30 I ever spent!

Btw, the new highspeed track (350km per hour) between Beijing and Shanghai is going forward on schedule. Several friends are involved in the process and it seems to be running well.