Passengers say fast sleeper trains from Beijing, Shanghai to Hong Kong like ‘hotel stay’

Mainland Chinese travellers arriving in Hong Kong on board the first high-speed sleeper trains from Beijing and Shanghai have described the services as “as nice as a hotel stay” and are open to using them again for future trips. Passengers told the Post that the high-speed overnight trains were better than flying since there was no need to arrive hours in advance, and they could start exploring Hong Kong as soon as they arrived early on Sunday morning. The new services between Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing are operated by China Railway and will run from Friday to Sunday every week. The move is part of a wider push to spur the city’s integration with the mainland. The first two high-speed sleeper trains to Beijing and Shanghai departed Hong Kong on Saturday. Lu Jingxian was among those arriving at Hong Kong’s West Kowloon rail terminus on the high-speed sleeper train D907 from Shanghai. The 84-year-old said she had come to Hong Kong to visit her family and found the journey “as nice as a hotel stay”. “It has everything you need, such as toiletries, and the staff will deliver the food to your cabin after you place the order online,” Lu said. “But I am most happy about my sleep. The train was not shaky at all, just like being in a cradle.” Lu said she would happily travel on a high-speed sleeper train for future trips to Hong Kong. Lu’s train reached the city about 11 hours after departing from Shanghai Hongqiao station at 8.15pm, while also stopping at Shenzhen, Chaoshan, Xiamen and Hangzhou. Arrivals were welcomed by Hong Kong tourism minister Kevin Yeung Yun-hung and senior staff from the MTR Corporation, who gave them souvenirs as they passed through West Kowloon station. Ren Zhengyi, a 35-year-old homemaker from Shanghai, said she took the train with her husband and their two children, aged five and seven. “This is a new experience, we have never slept on a train before. It’s more child-friendly than taking a plane too … we will definitely consider taking the sleeper train again when we come the next time,” she said. “We also saved quite a lot of time because we can start sightseeing straight away without spending a night at the hotel. The accommodation is quite expensive in Hong Kong.” Yeung Chi-kong, a 60-year-old market researcher who works in Shanghai, also said he enjoyed the trip since there were no extra hours of preparation compared with taking a plane. “I only arrived 15 minutes in advance and hopped on the train, no time was wasted,” he said. “The price is competitive, it’s cheaper than a flight ticket during peak seasons, but during non-peak seasons a flight ticket is cheaper.” The new high-speed services replace trains running between Hong Kong’s Hung Hom station, Beijing and Shanghai, while halving travel times and offering 600 spaces per train that include regular seats and a range of sleeper cabins. A second-class seat on trains heading to Beijing in the first three days of the service cost about HK$937 (US$119.9), while an upper berth bed was about HK$1,031 and lower berth ones went for around HK$1,306. A second-class seat on a Shanghai-bound sleeper over the same period went for HK$682, while prices for carriages ranged from HK$878 to HK$2,128. The West Kowloon station also welcomed the first high-speed sleeper train from Beijing, D909, as it arrived in Hong Kong at around 8.45am after a 12½-hour journey that included stops at Shenzhen, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Changsha and Shijiazhuang. Chen Ruidong, managing director of China Travel Service, which also organised a group tour for 13 of the train’s passengers, said the response was better than expected as participants had all signed up in one day. “For travel agencies like us, the sleeper train allows us to save two nights of accommodation, and travel cost is quite competitive compared with a flight too,” he said. Chen said the service could also consider offering more dining options and installing shower facilities to elevate the experience. A tour group member, retiree Wu Xun, 70, said she and her husband were making their fourth visit to Hong Kong after hearing about the new train service. “We thought there was no chance of visiting Hong Kong again since we are old and not quite fit for flights, and can’t sit for hours,” she said. “The bed was very comfy and clean, we would definitely visit Hong Kong again, maybe with friends next time because we can all stay in a four-person cabin.” Celina Chen, 34, a finance worker who regularly goes between Hong Kong and Beijing, said such trains were more convenient for business travellers such as herself. “The weather in Hong Kong has been quite unstable recently, flights can get cancelled or delayed easily, but trains will often arrive on time,” she said. “The time is just right, I can just hop on the train at around 8pm after getting off work on Friday. I will definitely consider this option next time.”

Passengers say fast sleeper trains from Beijing, Shanghai to Hong Kong like ‘hotel stay’

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Arrivals tell Post they are open to using high-speed sleepers for future trips, praise reduced preparation time compared with flying

Arrivals tell Post they are open to using high-speed sleepers for future trips, praise reduced preparation time compared with flying