Train travel in China is cheap and relatively comfortable (depending on the type of fare you book). The only issue with train travel is that you often don't have much time off and it takes a while to get anywhere on the train. The best way to do train travel is to do you best to plan your trip for night travel and then to get a sleeper berth. The beds are relatively comfy and hopefully the rocking of the train the will put you to sleep.
Beijing has five railway stations but Beijing's West Railway Station at Lianhuachi is the newest and largest. Each station has lines running to almost all provincial capitals, and to all China's major cities. There are four kinds of seats available: soft berths, hard berths, soft seats, and hard seats. Most overnight trains have dining cars.
Purchasing Train Tickets
In Beijing it may be more convenient to have your train tickets booked for you by a travel agency such as Chinese Business World's travel center or ChinaTourService.com which make train reservations if you send them an e-mail request. If you opt to do it yourself, the process can be rather confusing and time-consuming.
Some stations do however have special counters which sell tickets to foreigners and overseas Chinese for up to five days in advance. When purchasing your own, remember to bring your passport or ID.
If you're outside Beijing or a major center, good luck. Remember to be patient and sometimes it pays to check at the desk, if they can speak some English, try your luck, if not, nod, back away, and now try to find someone to help you speak to the agent.
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