Tips and Tricks of Traveling China’s High-Speed Sleeper Trains

If you’re going to visit China, make sure you take at least one train. The country has been laying down 10,000 km of new track each year - 125 billion dollars’ worth - 1/3 of it for high-speed trains. It seems like every time you turn around, they’ve built a new station, some of them in as little as six weeks. No matter what the weather – or pollution levels. The trains start running before construction is even finished. Buses and taxis deliver passengers to a nearby dirt lot – they have to make it the rest of the way under their own steam. But once you get through that front door… High speed trains run out of their very own stations – away from the masses. Where bathrooms are beautiful, and very clean. Everything is digital and air conditioned. Even the hot water comes in a fancy machine. And there’s always a place to sit. High speed trains are expensive, by Chinese standards. Though no matter how fancy the service, you’re still going to have to go through an X-ray