Living and traveling in China – Guangzhou to Jingmen, Hubei by train
One route leading to the main train station
It was on the third day of my arrival in Guangzhou that it was now time to take the train to Jingmen, Hubei which was to be my new residence hometown. As I mentioned before, I could have optioned to fly to Wuhan and then transfer to train or bus to Jingmen, but I wanted to see as much as I could of the Chinese countryside during the daytime hours of the 22 hour trip.
Guangzhou main rail station
The Guangzhou main rail station is located in the west central area of the city at the intersection of HuanShi XiLu - HuanShi ZhongLu, RenMin BeiLu, and ZhanQian Lu. The traffic flow on HuanShi XiLu – HuanShi ZhongLu frontal road runs east to west in front of the main entrance to the station property. Not to confuse you here but if you’re coming from the east, you’ll be traveling on HuanShi ZhongLu and from the west you’ll be on HuanShi XiLu. RenMin BeiLu runs north-south and ZhanQian Lu parallels about four blocks west.
There is a subway stop at the station for those of you that may be leery of the congested streets and elevated highway that connects at this location. Dozens of city buses also stop directly at the station lot. There is no parking in the immediate area. This station is normally very crowded during all hours of the day and into the late night. Once you have arrived in the large front area of the depot, I would strongly suggest that you enter the station and relax in either the designated waiting areas for your train, or a quieter and safer lounge area which you can pay 50 to 100 rmb admittance fee.
As with any bus or train station in China, keep a watchful eye on your belongings. Other suggestions would be to keep your wallet in a front pocket and your mobile phone also securely hidden away. Foreigners, whether you live in China or a tourist, are often targets of thieves. Due to the crowded conditions at most major stations and depots, always be mindful of your surroundings. I opted to pay the extra rmb and took my luggage with me to a more secure and quiet lounge. The attendant also arranged for a porter to assist me, in loading my luggage on the train, when it was time to board. Boarding call usually is 20 to 25 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time. My departure time was 12:05 pm.
Ticket options
Traveling by train in China can be quite an experienced, so be prepared. I strongly suggest that you make your plans well ahead of your desired departure as you may be limited waiting for a “last minute” or “change” in your itinerary. As always, ask your Chinese host for assistance or if you feel comfortable in making your own plans go directly to the station at least five days before your schedule departure and are sure it’s not during a holiday period. If you plan on traveling during any one of a number of Chinese holidays, I suggest that you purchase your ticket at least three weeks prior to your desired day of travel. Only on occasion during a holiday period might you be lucky.
There are four train ticket options. The best way for long distance travel would be to purchase a “soft bed” ticket. It’s the most expensive, but the accommodations are more secure and a little more private too. The soft bed cars have multiple four bed compartments, two upper and two lower beds, with a door and adequate storage space for your luggage. There are fold down stools that are affixed to the wall of the hallway outside of each compartment. I paid approximately 470 rmb (approximately 60 USD) for a soft bed compartment.
The next ticket option is about 80 to 150 rmb lower and is called the “hard bed” ticket. This car has multiple 6 bed cubicles, top, center, and lower, however there is no door and luggage storage is limited. Fold down stools are also adjacent to each compartment. Option three is to purchase a “seat” ticket which usually costs about 180 to 250 rmb for the Guangzhou to Jingmen, Hubei route or thereabouts. Most all the seats in these cars hold three to a seat with another facing you. There is a small table that comes between those passengers that are seated at the window or middle portions of the seat. Most seat tickets will have a seat location designation. Window seats are the preferred as the table can be used for “head resting” during the evening hours.
Unfortunately, in the cars with seats only, you’ll more than likely be in a crowded situation as option four, “standing only” ticket holders will share those cars and more than likely, either directly or indirectly, invade your “space” at some point during your travel. So, I remind you once again, purchase your ticket well ahead of your scheduled departure date if you’d like to ride in some form of reasonable comfort.
Each car has a toilet and wash room at one end and a hot water tank and conductor room at the opposite end. There is also a dining car, but most Chinese prefer to bring their traveling meals onboard which consisting of a dried noodle meal in a container, tea (by all means), fruit, and other types of edibles. Frequently, a vendor will push a cart of snacks and cooked meal varieties as well as beer (pi jio) and some wine.
All aboard! We’re on our way.