If China re-awakened something of my childlike fascination with trains, nothing did it more efficiently than getting to travel by high speed rail. True to its name, it cuts the time taken to reach destinations by up to half, and is thoroughly enjoyable. It’s a bit like being on an aeroplane, but without the cabin pressure or turbulence.

Our first opportunity to use these trains was in December, from Ürümqi to Turpan on our way to the Christmas party there (in which we did nothing but dance awkwardly at the back). That was pleasant enough, but only lasted an hour, which is practically nothing in Chinese terms, so we’d barely settled in by the time we arrived.

I had a smattering of high speed trains to enjoy during Winter Travelling with Calum. Between Shanghai and Guangzhou, via Xiamen and Hong Kong, all of our trains were ‘high speed’ D and G class, ranging between 4 and 8 hours in length – and up to 300kmph at times. The landscape rolls past effortlessly, everything is clean and new, and the timings were perfect (Greater Anglia, take note).

This said, they were somewhat less efficient in terms of travel time. Slower sleeper trains usually take at least twice as long, but tend to run overnight, saving a day spent on a train (fast trains only run through the day, with a few specific exceptions) and the cost of a night in a hostel. We also found that they were much less sociable and organic. Much like the London tube, no one spoke to each other. Everyone had somewhere to be, and kept to themselves – more, at least, than on the low-speed alternatives.

But there are just minor points. The bottom line is that these trains are efficient, fast, clean and further reduce the size of China. We are told that within a few years, we can expect to be able to reach Xi’an or perhaps even Beijing within a day from Xinjiang (currently at least 30 hours by train). They are also much more manageable for tourists not familiar with China or Chinese. My parents managed to visit Suzhou from Shanghai unassisted (I was ill), despite no Mandarin and having been in China for less than a week. It wasn’t the smoothest trip, to be sure, but that is for another post. All in all, it’s a big thumbs-up from me. HS2? More like HS-Who.

—TJC

Featured image: the Turpan–Ürümqi train coming into the platform.