Chaina railway system

With the passenger transport capacity of about one billion a year, China's railway is always very busy; the trains and train stations are usually very crowded. In order to alleviate the congestion and improve efficiency, Steps have been taken to increase speeds, thus reducing journey times and allowing faster turn round, while ensuring high standards of safety. This means the modern trains can operate at speeds between 160 and 200 kilometers (99 ~ 124 miles) per hour.

Almost all the Chinese cities have their own railway stations, some have more than one, like Beijing, where there are five train stations; the largest of these is the Beijing West Railway Station. These stations provide passenger related facilities and services such as a dining hall, coffee house, shops, phone booths and newsstands. Tickets can be purchased in the Ticket Booking Hall but you have to be fully prepared to join long queues and suffer the crowds. Actually, train tickets are difficult to buy in China, especially during the high travel season or at the start and finish of national holidays such as the Spring Festival, May Day, and National Day as well as the summer or winter vacation. There are many ticket agencies throughout the city where a 24 hour service is available. However, a fee of 5 Yuan is added to the ticket price at these outlets. It is often more convenient to obtain your tickets through a travel agent or at the Reception Desk of your hotel. While this is both convenient and time saving, there can be a service charge of 20 to 100 Yuan per ticket, maybe more if the tickets are delivered to you. Usually, more will be charged during the peak periods such as the Golden Week or high tourist season. Normally, train tickets can be booked between 3 to 15 days ahead of travel time subject to variations depending upon the city or time of year. So as to avoid disappointment you are advised to book your tickets as early as possible.