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China Train Guide
Quick Guide on China Train Travel
If you’re looking for an affordable and comfortable way to get around China, train travel is the way to go. Getting train information and cheap train tickets has never been easier. Online train ticket booking makes it easy for travelers to look through China’s train timetable, compare train fares, and look for ticket availability. Once you’ve found a suitable train, you can book online and pick your tickets up at the train station or get them delivered to your home or hotel. Train tickets can be booked online a minimum of 35 minutes and a maximum of 60 days before departure.
How to choose train types
When you’re buying China train tickets online, you’ll notice that the journey duration differs depending on which type of train you choose. China train types can be recognized by their letter codes. G, D and C trains are high-speed trains, while Z, T and K are slower or overnight trains. China’s high-speed trains run between Chinese provincial capitals and first-tier Chinese cities. G trains (high-speed trains, standing for gāotiě) are China’s bullet trains the fastest trains with a maximum speed of 400 km/h. Tickets for these trains are the most expensive.
How to buy train tickets
Unless you can read Chinese, there are only two ways to make train reservations in China:
—Online train ticket booking with a travel agency (up to 60 days before departure).
—At the train station/local ticket agency with your passport (up to 58 days before departure).
How to read train tickets
When reading your train ticket, please take note of the Chinese characters and Pinyin printed next to your departure/arrival city. Directions (North, South, East, and West) appear in Pinyin (Bei, Nan, Dong, and Xi), not English. Please make sure you are going to the correct train station.
21. Which is NOT TRUE from the first paragraph?
A. It’s easy to get train information in China now.
B. You can get on the train without tickets after booking online.
C. Travelling by train in China is not expensive.
D. You must book train tickets online at least 35 minutes before you leave.
22. You can choose _________ if you need to travel from Wuhan to Shanghai for something urgent?
A. D trains B. G trains C. Z trains D. K trains
23. What can we learn from the passage?
A. The train tickets can’t be sent to your hotel.
B. The tickets for the bullet trains are the most expensive in China.
C. If you don’t know Chinese characters or pinyin, you can’t take trains in China.
D. E-mail is also a way to make train reservations.
