HSR from.Urumqi to Xian

[minion]

has anyone taken the HSR train from Urumqi to Xian? or vice versa. is the train traveling too fast to see anything? which seat / sleeper did you choose? which website do you use to book HSR tickets?

i am assuming the scenery is superb so considering doing it nonstop (14h, daylight hours, since journey begins 0830). i plan to return later in a diff trip to properly visit the silk road sights. i have not been to Xian so that is where i will focus my attention.

years ago, i took the train from Lhasa to Xining , ending at Qinghai Lake. it was late spring and beautiful with flowers galore. that train is not HSR though they were traveling fast in some sections

[sebhoff]

Yes - took it three weeks ago (from Turpan), after taking a night train from Kashgar to Turpan. I used Chinahighlights.com for the tickets.
The train is a modern sleeper train in day-use configuration - so you will be sitting in a compartment rather than the more typical open-plan layout of Chinese high-speed trains.
For much of the time, I don’t remember the scenery to be stunning or particularly interesting. This does change for a while when traveling through one of the mountain ranges of Gansu (can’t remember the name at the moment). But this involves many tunnels, and sometimes the time between exiting one and entering another is too short to see much. If you have the time (I didn’t, being on a 15-day visa-free schedule), I suspect it would be more enjoyable to do this on a slower train.

[minion]

thanks sebhoff!


1. how much upcharge did chinahighlights charge you for getting the ticket?


2. so if you were to do it again, you would prefer to fly? actually the HSR train cost the same as plane if you choose one of the more expensive seats/sleepers


3. can you tell me what kind of sleeper you saw on the the HSR from urumqi to xian?
is it
a) New Sleepers (Dong Wo动卧)
or
b) Soft Sleepers Compartment (Ruan Wo软卧)
or
c) Deluxe Soft Sleeper Compartment (Gao Ji Ruan Wo高级动卧)

pictures here
https://www.chinadiscovery.com/china-hi ... -seat.html

i am debating whether to get sleeper or just first class seat. and yeah, like you, i also will not have time to do ride / stop / ride / stop or slow train this time.

[sebhoff]

1) Their service fee is 6 USD per ticket. Plus there was a transaction charge when I paid with PayPal. Not sure how much - but it wasn't a huge amount.
2) No - I'm a train person. I only fly when there is no train alternative (e.g. Bishkek to Osh).
3) I bought a second class seat and the train was a sleeper that was set up for day use. See pics here:





And here's what you can expect when travelling through Gansu:

[minion]

thanks for the photos.

i will probably book the whole cabin if there are 3 of us (ie pay for the 4th seat/sleeper).

but it's a day train so technically i dont need to sleep..

[sebhoff]

There are six seats in that cabin (for day use). Technically, it is *not* a sleeper.

[minion]

i see. i misread. i thought they make 3 seats = 1 sleeper, and so 4 sleeper in one cabin

so the two murphy bed things above the seats are not used? since they only sell 6 seats in one cabin

[sebhoff]

Exactly. That’s what I mean by “set up for day use”.
As far as I remember, it was also possible to buy an actual sleeper ticket on this train - but it was significantly more expensive. And at least I personally wouldn’t want to lie down the whole trip during the day…

[Milad]

Interesting, sebhoff! Is this train 2708 or 2718?

[bwv812]

1st pic shows 2708.