tauphi

The SHA/HKG route is pretty full most of the time. But then again SHA/HKG flights cost a lot more than SHA/PEK.

nologic

The only option is to book the upper and lower berths in a deluxe cabin. I am not sure every one of the D trains has a deluxe car. I got conflicting info before booking. 2 out of 3 concierges told me there was no deluxe car with 2 person cabins. Maybe they were checking a a different train, as there are 5-6 per night, so be persistent, and unless things change, the D307 train does have a deluxe car.

I booked 2 days in advance and bought my ticket thru the concierge. I think there is a limit on how far you can book in advance (like not very much?). These are
the standard prices currently in the market. I am not aware of any discounts for the night D trains. If you don't care about arriving by 7:30am, you might want to check out the 13 hour T trains which leave around 1:15pm, and are less expensive.

I think you have a better chance for discounted coach airfare booking as far in advsance as possible. Best sites seem to be ctrip.com and elong.com.

There is no best or worst place to buy the train tickets. The base ticket prices are all the same. I would contact your Beijing hotel concierge who will certainly procure a reservation and ticket for you. I felt the RMB 30 charge (less than $5) to deliver a ticket to my hotel within 2 hours was nominal. At my hotel (Grand Hyatt) they did charge a 5% premium to pay by credit card versus cash, which amounted to an additional $10. Conversely, you may be able to go to Beijing Main/Central station and buy the tickets for no fee and I am sure there are other places/agencies which charge less the RMB 30, but $5 is not much on an absolute level. I have a sense most people buy their tickets with little advance booking, but I could be wrong.

Have a good trip.

nologic

I appreciate your perspective and suggestions, but I am not interested in those hotels...I am very happy with the Hyatt and Starwood options in Asia, and that's where I would be staying if I wasn't on the train, so those costs/savings are very real "for me". I realize not everyone looks at their options this way, but compared to what I would be paying/doing if I were to fly, those are the numbers/savings.

nologic

I think the two night T trains go into and out of the center city on both ends, but the BJ-SHA train arrived too late for me. If I didn't have an AM meeting, I might have considered the T train. Yes, Hongqiao taxi/traffic was a pain.

mnredfox

Fair enough, I just wanted to post that there are options out there for those that don't mind those hotels. Since you do, I'm glad it worked out for you. Sounds like the ride was good - again appreciate the detailed post.

moondog

As some who: 1) likes trains; and 2) has friends with travel budgets that range from 168-style to biz class from HK to SH every week, I'd like to thank nologic for his review of the train.

I fall somewhere in the middle, but can always force the high end options when need be.

I used to love the train option (though never tried deluxe). But, my one D trip left a bitter taste in my mouth because I paid an extra y200 for it, and simultaneously missed out on the "bar car" experience.

nologic

I have uploaded pics from the train to a public album which is labeled D305 Train Photos supposedly viewable within my profile. I am not sure how to create a link to that album in this thread.

Chinatrvl

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/membe...i-beijing.html

Thank you very much for the report and the photos. All that looks pretty decent, even to somebody who usually avoids trains rides longer than an hour

nologic

Et voila...merci.

allset2travel

Thanks for the pics ^

rkkwan

Newspaper in Hong Kong is report that the Beijing-Shanghai deluxe softsleeper on the D train will end on 1/5/2011. Due to lack of demand with the high fare.

The upcoming D trains from Shanghai to Chengdu/Chongqing are still planning to have them, but the newspaper questions whether those are economically viable as well, since it'll be cheaper to just fly and stay in a 5* hotel.

nologic

Well, demand was low on my train, but that's a bummer, because I would probably take it again.

mnredfox

Interesting, but makes sense. Given it is mostly catered to foreigners, as Chinese ride the cheap cars.

rkkwan

Foreigners like the soft sleepers as they can possibly save time, save a night of hotel's cost, find it adventurous. But many also don't want to share a cabin with strangers, therefore the deluxe softsleepers.

Plenty of Chinese are super rich and can afford it as well, but they probably won't find it adventurous, and many may have a home in either Beijing and Shanghai anyways, so it may not save them money. They can simply fly. And others may not find sharing a cabin with others in a soft sleeper that bad.