Today, I took China's latest flagship high-speed train from Beijing to Shanghai.
Train number: G15
Maximum speed: 350 km/h (217 mph)
Distance: about 1318 km (819 miles)
Total running time: 4h 33min
Timestamp:
0:00 Intro
0:30 Beijing South Railway Station
4:28 Getting on the train
5:13 The private suite
12:31 Toilets and other class seats
15:16 Ordering Starbucks on a 350km/h train!
16:36 Business class free meal
18:54 Arriving late at Shanghai Hongqiao Station
The Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail is the busiest and most profitable route in China, with nearly 100 high-speed trains running daily between these two major cities. The distance is 1318 km, the fastest train takes just 4 hours and 18 minutes, while the slowest one takes about 6 and a half hours. Trains with high configurations, fast speeds, and fewer stops are called 'benchmark' trains, essentially referring to flagship services. The one I rode today is a flagship train— the latest Fuxing smart train, which started operating in June this year, with an impressive 17-carriage formation.
My seat was in business class, the highest grade available on China's high-speed rail system. Interestingly, business class has a higher rank than first Class in China’s high-speed rail naming system. Frankly speaking, the price of a business class seat isn’t something most people in China can easily afford. In comparison, the price of an economy class ticket on a flight between Beijing and Shanghai is roughly equivalent to a second-class seat on the train, while for some off-peak flights, the business class ticket might even be much cheaper than the train's business class seat.
Here’s a tip for choosing trains: in China, the train numbers typically indicate the number of stops — the fewer the stops, the shorter the train number. For example, on the Beijing-Shanghai line, flagship trains usually have train numbers like GX or GXX, while GXXX or GXXXX typically correspond to non-flagship trains with more stops and slower speeds. So, if you want to ride a faster train, look for the shorter-numbered Fuxing smart trains.
It’s also worth mentioning that the business class seat I had today was a private suite, but this is not a standard feature on all Fuxing trains. In fact, even on the same train, you might find another more common type of business class seat (seen at 14:02), which is similar to an "eggshell" design. If you want to experience the private suite-style business class, you may need to do some research in advance, as the type of business class seat can vary depending on the train number and model.
Fare Information: 2318 RMB (320 USD / 305 EUR / 255 GBP / 49500 JPY / 494 AUD / 447 CAD / 290 CHF / 437 SGD / 2495 HKD / 447675 KRW / 10426 TWD)
Prices for other class seats:
Second class: 662 RMB (91 USD / 87 EUR / 73 GBP / 14128 JPY / 141 AUD / 127 CAD / 83 CHF / 125 SGD / 713 HKD / 127212 KRW / 3011 TWD)
First class: 1060 RMB (147 USD / 139 EUR / 117 GBP / 22657 JPY / 227 AUD / 204 CAD / 133 CHF / 200 SGD / 1140 HKD / 204868 KRW / 4818 TWD)
Premium first class: 1457 RMB (202 USD / 191 EUR / 161 GBP / 31165 JPY / 310 AUD / 281 CAD / 182 CHF / 275 SGD / 1568 HKD / 281835 KRW / 6622 TWD)
*Exchange rates are based on the video's release date and may not be accurate.
▶ I use automatic translation of subtitles, so please excuse me if some look a little weird.