For most countries taking a train involves paying for a ticket and boarding the train. Question of minutes. In China this is different and this difference is what makes Chinese experience with trains really safe and pleasant. Imagine a train without security issues like thieves, possible presence of weapons or people who don’t pay for the fare and take seats abusively and even discuss with train staff. All situations which make train experiences outside China really bad. Here’s why Chinese trains are so safe.
A different culture of trains → Commuting is not much frequent in China, as every city, including small cities (which often are as big as big European cities, if not more) have everything: everywhere there are schools, jobs, facilities. Therefore experience is made more to accommodate occasional travelers rather than commuters. Of course commuting is still possible, just the experience is not completely targeted to commuters. This is why everything starts with a booking and purchase of ticket by providing your Chinese ID or passport (also international passports obviously). No anonymous traveling is possible: you are registered and this starts to make the journey safe, as train company is aware of who boards the train.
Taking trains is like taking flights → Being the train more targeted to occasional travelers, here starts the big security procedure. When you want to board the train you scan the ticket, your passport or Chinese ID and go through security check. Some liquid items cannot be carried, just like in airports and dangerous items are in general prohibited. By scanning the ticket and going through this security procedure, you enjoy the same security of flights: no weapons, no people without ticket.
Cameras everywhere → Obviously cameras are a must and in China they work very well. Thieves on a train have definitely no way to escape. You can definitely travel safe.
By saying all this, it is not difficult to believe experience with trains in China is among the best you can enjoy, if not the best, due to the high level of security you enjoy, just like with flights. And the same Chinese railway stations sometimes look like airports: the stations for cheap trains (slow but stopping in city centers) don’t have many shops as they are located in the city centers so you can find everything outside, but the stations for high-speed trains (located far from the city centers just like airports, due to the high noise, so that you may have to take taxi or bus after arriving at destination) are really similar to airports.
@user_not_found OK, I see now why Chinese trains are so safe. How long have you been in China? You know so much about it. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
I loved reading your post! : ) It is great how you described the safety on Chinese trains. This is the reason why I also like them so much. Actually I love everything about public transport in China because it is so safe! Even if you want to enter the subway, you have to be checked together with your baggage.
As for the trains in China - they are an experience on its own. I have taken both the slowest trains and high-speed trains. My favorite seat is the window seat as I can always observe the landscapes.
Here is a random photo that I took in a Chinese railway station.
I am happy that you stayed in China for so long! Wishing you many more times there! I have stayed some 3 years there and really consider that country as a second home. A fact that I am sure of is that there is never a last trip to there. : )
i have many people to meet in China and also go with my Chinese friends in Italy so I can consider China my frequent destination for my yearly holidays. I have also tried the night slow train in China in addition to day slow and fast trains. Yes security is also on subways, while bus of course can not enforce this kind of security. Bus is still good for the ability to pay for the fare just by putting coins inside the box installed within the bus or by scanning Alipay or WeChat QR code: everything done in seconds and just when boarding the bus.
As for the night slow trains, I will remember them for a lifetime. Taking them really was a unique experience. Usually these trains are always preoccupied. There are seat tickets and standing tickets for the same price and you could rarely see a foreigner in these trains. I remember while taking these trains, there were people who would watch you curiously throughout the journey and there are some young Chinese who study English and would love to practice their skills, they would come and ask different questions. I loved these journeys.
A thing that made me feel shocked was the fact that these trains were always so full of people. I remember seeing a baby sleeping in the sink in the toilet of the train, people sleeping on the ground or some sitting on small chairs. When holidays approach, people just start travelling everywhere and it is almost impossible to be somewhere alone, hehehe not that it usually is there…
Having ridden a highspeed train, from memory it was 330 km/hr (I must confirm by checking my photos), I agree with your observations @user_not_found . As well as feeling very safe, I recall that the train was very clean and comfortable. I also sat in a window seat but at 330 km/hr it found it difficult to observe the landscapes @TsekoV
Where did you take such trains? Have you also visited China or was it somewhere else? As for the view from the train, I remember that I was seeing everything outside quite clear and smooth. The speed was very fast, but you couldn’t actually feel it.
Here is a photo of mine with the speed of the train that I took.
Yes you are right, the speed was very fast (in our case it topped 330 km/h) but you couldn’t actually feel it for distant objects but for those close of course they zipped passed, like in a very fast track/motion movie. We caught the high speed train traveling at up to 330 km/h from Beijing to Tianjin.
From memory I visited and spent some time in China in 2011 and I was really impressed with the efficient passenger transportation available in there. Two hours or so down to 30 minutes is amazing and fast trains like this must have a big impact on the lives and livelihood of country people in remote China.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
