Day One - September 19, 2007 - Tianjin to Beijing by D540:
* D540 is a train line from Tianjin to Beijing, stops at no stations on its way.
* On timetable: 01h07m, depart at 2007-09-19 12:46, arrive at 2007-09-19 13:53
* Actual time: 01h09m46s, depart at 2007-09-19 12:45:47, arrive at 2007-09-19 13:55:33
* Distance: 137 km (85 mi)
* Travel class: EMU second-class seat
* Cost: ¥43.00 (bought onboard, normal price to be ¥42.00)
Leave home at 10:40. Get a cab at 10:45 and arrive at Tianjin temporary railway station at 10:58, cost ¥16.50 [1]. Enter the station at 11:13, via elevated exit way, arrive platform 1 and wait there. Train D537 from Beijing to Tianjin arrives at its terminal station and stops at track 9 just north to platform 1 at 12:24:47, and then changes its train number to D540. Get on train D540. The serial number of the first half of the train or carriage 16 to 9 is CRH2-028A and the serial number of the second half of the train or carriage 8 to 1 is CRH2-044A. Train D540 leaves Tianjin station at 12:45:47, 00m13s ahead of schedule, and arrives Beijing station at 13:55:33, 02m33s behind schedule, stops at the south side of platform 5. Get a ticket on the train at 12:55, cost ¥43.00. It is the 129th time travel on a China Railway High-speed train since April 18, 2007.
Notes:
[1] US$100 ≈ ¥751 in September 2007
Day One to Two - September 19 to 20, 2007 - Beijing to Changsha by T1:
* T1 is a train line from Beijing west to Changsha, stops at Zhengzhou, Wuchang, Yueyang stations on its way.
* On timetable: 14h43m from Beijing west to Changsha, depart at 2007-09-19 15:48, arrive at 2007-09-20 06:31
* Actual time: 15h01m33s from Beijing west to Changsha, depart at 2007-09-19 15:49:00, arrive at 2007-09-20 06:50:33
* Distance: 1587 km (986 mi)
* Travel class: new-type-air-conditioned, express [2], hard-sleeper, upper-berth
* Cost: ¥324.00
Get a ticket just inside the exit at Beijing railway station at 14:10: T1, Beijing west to Changsha, depart at 2007-09-19 15:48, new-type-air-conditioned express train, hard-sleeper, carriage 9 bed 14 upper-berth, cost ¥324.00. Exit from Beijing station, get an air ticket just outside the exit of Beijing railway station at 14:17: Hainan Airlines flight 7202, Guangzhou Baiyun airport to Tianjin Binhai airport, departs at 2007-09-23 17:10, costs ¥810.00 include tax. Walk to Beijing station east bus station and get on bus line 9 there at 14:39, arrive at Beijing west railway station bus station at 15:19, pay using Beijing Municipal Administration and Communications Card, cost ¥0.40 with discount. Buy food at Shanghai Hualian super market near Beijing west railway station at 15:30, cost ¥3.20. Buy food at Yoshinoya Xikezhan restaurant at 15:33, cost ¥22.00. Enter the station at 15:38, via check-in gate 1 in waiting room 5, get on the train at the north side of platform 3. The serial number of carriage 3 is YW-25K 671029. Train T1 leaves Beijing west station at 15:49:00, 01m00s behind schedule, and arrive Changsha station at 06:50:33 the second day, 19m33s behind schedule, stop at track 8 at the east side of platform 4.
Notes:
[2] The travel classes are (higher to lower):
* EMU: Numbered with letter D prefix followed by 1-3 digits.
* Direct express: Numbered with letter Z prefix followed by 1-3 digits.
* Express: Numbered with letter T prefix followed by 1-3 digits.
* Fast: Numbered with letter K or N prefix followed by 1-3 digits. K-series trains travel on lines operated by more than one railway bureau or companies, while N-series trains travel within one railway bureau or company.
* General fast: Numbered with four digits and the first digit to be 1 to 5.
* General: Numbered with four digits and the first digit to be 6 to 9.
Day Two to Three - September 20 to 21, 2007 - Changsha to Zhanjiang by K157
* K157 is a train line from Beijing west to Zhanjiang, stops at 28 stations on its way.
* On timetable: 17h24m from Changsha to Zhanjiang, depart at 2007-09-20 13:46, arrive at 2007-09-21 07:10
* Actual time: 18h07m07s from Changsha to Zhanjiang, depart at 2008-09-20 14:35:14, arrive at 2007-09-21 08:42:21
* Distance: 1177 km (731 mi)
* Travel class: new-type-air-conditioned, fast, hard-sleeper, upper-berth
* Cost: ¥256.00
Exit from Changsha railway station. Get a ticket at window 18 in Changsha station ticket office at 09:31: K157, Changsha to Zhanjiang, depart at 2007-09-20 13:46, new-type-air-conditioned fast train, hard-sleeper, carriage 12 bed 22 upper-berth, cost ¥256.00. Walk to KFC Dongtang restaurant and eat there from 11:30 to 12:00, cost ¥13.00. Walk to Pozijie bus station and get on a bus at 13:17, arrive Changsha train station bus station at 13:39, cost ¥1.00. Enter the station at 13:41, and wait in waiting room 1. The station announce train K157 is late and will arrive Changsha station at 13:50 at beginning, then announce it will arrive Changsha at 14:21. Get out of the station and take some photos and get in the station again. Walk to platform 2 via check-in gate in waiting room 1. The train K157 stops at track 4 at the east side of platform 2. The serial number of carriage 12 is YW-25G 668808. The train leaves Changsha station at 14:35:14, 49m14s behind schedule, and arrives Zhanjiang station at 08:42:21 the second day, 01h32m21s behind schedule, stops at platform 1. Get some food on train K157 at 15:13 the first day, cost ¥7.00. Got some more food on train K157 at 17:26, cost ¥5.00.
Day Three - September 21, 2007 - Zhanjiang to Haikou by K511
* K511 is a train line from Shanghai south to Sanya, stops at 20 stations on its way.
* On timetable: 04h12m from Zhanjiang to Haikou, depart at 2007-09-21 14:15, arrive at 2007-09-21 18:27
* Actual time: 04h22m08s from Zhanjiang to Haikou, 2007-09-21 14:39:42, arrive at 2007-09-21 19:01:50
* Distance: 306 km (190 mi), cross Qiongzhou strait on a ship
* Travel class: new-type-air-conditioned, fast, hard-seat
* Cost: ¥70.00
Exit from Zhanjiang railway station. Reenter the station, find a electrical socket and recharge MacBook and mobile phones in the waiting room in the morning. Exit from Zhanjiang railway station at noon and walk around in the city. Get a cab at 12:34, arrives at Zhanjiang west railway station at 13:03, cost ¥60.00. Zhanjiang west railway station is a newly-built remote station that some dozens of kilometers west to Zhanjiang city. Get a ticket at Zhanjiang west station ticket office at 13:08: K511, Zhanjiang west to Haikou, depart at 2007-09-21 14:15, new-type-air-conditioned fast train, hard-seat, carriage 3 seat 76, cost ¥70.00. Get some food near Zhanjiang west railway station at 13:34, cost ¥5.50. Take some photos and then enter the station and wait in the waiting room. Train K511 arrives Zhanjiang west station at 14:36:55, 23m55s late. The serial number of carriage 3 is YZ-25G 351037. The train leaves the station at 14:39:42, 23m55s late, arrives Xuwen station at 16:09:30, 37m30s late, leaves Xuwen station at 16:11:46, 37m46s late, and then stops at Hai'an south station at 16:25:34 and waiting for the classification to cross the sea with passengers onboard. At 16:33:58, carriage 1 to 9 is separated from the rest of the train and runs 1.0 km toward south. At 16:40:04, carriage 1 to 4 is separated from carriage 5 to 9 and runs 0.6 km toward south, and then get into ship named Yuehaitie II at speed of 14 km/s at 16:52. The entry of the ship is located at 20.2301 degrees north, 110.1252 degrees east. Carriage 1 to 4 finally stops inside the ship at right-most of four tracks at 16:57:20. No power supply in train carriages during the classification and the power supply restores at 16:59:30. The ship leaves the north bank at 17:14, travels 12.5 nautical miles (23.2 kilometers) to cross the strait, and stops at 18:19 at the south bank at the Hainan island. The passengers are not allowed to get out of the carriages and walk around on the ship during the crossing of the sea. The carriages are joined together then and the train stops at platform 1 at Hainan railway station at 19:01:50, 34m50s behind schedule.
Day Four - September 22, 2007 - Haikou to Sanya by T201
* T201/204 [3] is a train line from Beijing west to Sanya, stops at 14 stations on its way.
* On timetable: 03h14m from Haikou to Sanya, depart at 2007-09-22 01:58, arrive at 2007-09-22 05:12
* Actual time: 03h34m27s from Haikou to Sanya, depart at 2007-09-22 02:17:52, arrive at 2007-09-22 05:52:19
* Distance: 363 km (226 mi)
* Travel class: new-type-air-conditioned, express, hard-sleeper
* Cost: ¥156.00
Get a ticket at temporary ticketing window inside Haikou railway station: T201, Haikou to Sanya, depart at 2007-09-22 01:58, new-type-air-conditioned express train, hard-seat, carriage 17 seat 106, cost ¥80.00. Get another ticket at the window: T202, Haikou to Guangzhou, depart at 2007-09-22 22:53, new-type-air-conditioned express train, hard-sleeper, carriage 13 bed 1 lower-berth, cost ¥265.00. Exit from Haikou railway station. Get into the station again and get some food at Haikou station, cost ¥9.50, then recharge MacBook and mobile phones in the waiting room. Change the T201 hard-seat ticket at window 5 at Haikou station ticket office with a hard-sleeper ticket at 22:35: T201, Haikou to Sanya, depart at 2007-09-22 01:58, new-type-air-conditioned express train, hard-sleeper, carriage 2 bed 1 lower-berth, price is ¥156.00, paid ¥76.00 for the price difference. Train T201 arrives Haikou station at 02:03:44 the second day, 17m44s late, stops at platform 1. The serial number of carriage 2 is YW-25T 676475. The train leaves Haikou station at 02:17:52, 19m52s late. Since the railway on Hainan island is single track, it stops mid-way at 19.7755 degrees north, 109.9757 degrees east from 02:43:34 to 03:00:55 to wait for train K408 from Sanya the opposite direction. The train arrives Dongfang station at 04:32:56, 40m56s late, and leaves Dongfang station at 04:35:18, 40m18s late, then finally arrives its terminal Sanya station at 05:52:19, 40m19s behind schedule, stops at platform 1.
Notes:
[3] Odd train number indicates a train travels down, or leave Beijing; Even train number indicates train travels up, or toward Beijing. If a train line has both up and down sections, it has two or more train numbers.
Day Four - September 22, 2007 - Sanya to Dongfang by K512
* K512 is a train line from Sanya to Shanghai south, stops at 22 stations on its way.
* On timetable: 01h29m from Sanya to Dongfang, depart at 2007-09-22 16:50, arrive at 2007-09-22 18:19
* Actual time: 01h28m17s from Sanya to Dongfang, depart at 16:49:57, arrive at 2007-09-22 18:18:14
* Distance: 157 km (98 mi)
* Travel class: new-type-air-conditioned, fast, hard-seat
* Cost: ¥80.00 (ticket is for Sanya to Haikou, get off train at Dongfang)
Exit from Sanya station. Get a ticket at window 2 in Sanya station ticket office: K512, Sanya to Haikou, depart at 2007-09-22 16:50, new-type-air-conditioned fast, carriage 5 seat 83, cost ¥80.00. Get on a bus at Sanya train station bus station, arrive Luhuitou square bus station at 07:34, cost ¥1.00. Get some food at McDonald's at 08:34 and eat there, then surfing web on MacBook with nearby free WiFi there, cost ¥18.50. Get a Li-ion rechargeable battery for Nokia N95 mobile phone at 12:40, cost ¥120.00. Ask the battery seller to recharge the the old battery from Nokia N95, then go to KFC and get some food at 12:48 and eat there, cost ¥17.00. Get on a bus at City people hospital bus station at 14:54, arrive at Sanya train station bus station at 15:13, cost ¥1.00. Enter the station. Get some food at a shop in the waiting room, cost ¥2.00. Recharge MacBook and mobile phones in the waiting room. Train K512 stops at platform 1. The serial number of carriage 5 is YZ-25G 351044. The train leaves Sanya railway station at 16:49:57, 00m03s ahead schedule, and arrives Dongfang station at 18:18:14, 00m46s ahead schedule, stops at platform 1.
Day Four to Five - September 22 to 23, 2007 - Dongfang to Guangzhou by T202
* T202 is a train line from Sanya to Beijing west, stops at 14 stations on its way.
* On timetable: 12h44m from Dongfang to Guangzhou, depart at 2007-09-22 20:48, arrive at 2007-09-23 09:32
* Actual time: 13h22m30s from Dongfang to Guangzhou, depart at 2007-09-22 20:47:36, arrive at 2007-09-23 10:10:06
* Distance: 1000 km (621 mi)
* Travel class: new-type-air-conditioned, express, hard-seat from Dongfang to Haikou, hard-sleeper from Haikou to Guangzhou
* Cost: ¥265.00 (ticket for Haikou to Guangzhou, reuse K512 ticket for the Dongfang to Haikou section at no cost)
Exit from Dongfang station. Walk to the station ticket office and try to resume trip with the K512 ticket at window 2. The ticket officer at the remote station does not know how to do this operation with the ticketing software named TRS version 5.0. By teaching the railway staff step by step, get a new ticket at no further cost required: T202, Dongfang to Haikou, depart at 2007-09-22 20:48, new-type-air-conditioned express train, carriage 15 seat 64, cost ¥0.00. Enter the station. Get some toilet paper at 18:28 in the waiting room, cost ¥2.00. Recharge MacBook and mobile phones in the waiting room. Train T202 arrives Dongfang station at 20:45:10, 00m10s late, stops at platform 1. The serial number of carriage 15 is YZ-25T 351020. The train leaves Dongfang station at 20:47:36, 00m24s early, and due to the single track, it stops somewhere on the way at 19.2331 degrees north, 108.9436 degrees east, from 21:09:45 to 21:11:20, to wait for train K511 from the opposite direction. The train arrives Haikou station at 22:48:20, 07m20s late. With the ticket bought at Haikou on September 21, get off train from carriage 15 hard-seat and get on train to carriage 13 hard-sleeper. The serial number of carriage 13 is YW-25T 676461. The train leaves Haikou at 22:58:41, 05m41s late. It stops at 23:04:53 for classification and prepare to cross the sea. Carriage 1 to 9 is separated from the rest of the train and starts moving for 0.5 km at 23:12:31 toward northwest, then stops at 23:17:22. Carriage 5 to 9 is separated from carriage 1 to 4 and starts moving for 0.2 km at 23:18:54 toward southeast, then stops at 23:21:24. Carriage 5 to 9 starts moving again at 23:21:56 for 0.3 km toward northwest, then gets into the ship, and stops inside the ship at the second of four tracks count from right at 23:26:53. The ship leaves the island at 23:37, cross the strait, and arrives the mainland at 00:45 the second day. The train arrives Guangzhou railway station at 10:10:06, 38m06s late, stops at the south side of platform 2.
Day Five - September 23, 2007 - Guangzhou to Guangzhou east by D741
* D741 is a train line from Guangzhou to Shenzhen, Guangzhou east is one of the stations it stops on the way.
* On timetable: 00h10m from Guangzhou to Guangzhou east, depart at 2007-09-23 10:58, arrive at 2007-09-23 11:08
* Actual time: 00h09m25s from Guangzhou to Guangzhou east, depart at 2007-09-23 10:55:05, arrive at 2007-09-23 11:04:30
* Distance: 8 km (5 mi)
* Travel class: EMU second-class seat
* Cost: ¥10.00 (bought onboard)
Walk to platform 1 from platform 2 via entry way in Guangzhou railway station. Train D740 arrives its terminal Guangzhou station at 10:33:32, 01m28s ahead schedule, stops at platform 1, and then change its train number to D741 and prepare for its next trip back to Shenzhen. The serial number of the train is CRH1-015A. Train D741 leaves Guangzhou station at 10:55:05, 02m55s ahead schedule, and arrives Guangzhou east station at 11:04:30, 03m30s ahead schedule, stops at the north side of platform 5. Get a ticket on the train at 10:58, cost ¥10.00. It is the 130th time travel on a China Railway High-speed train since April 18, 2007.
Day Five - September 23, 2007 - Guangzhou east to Guangzhou by D760
* D760 is a train line from Shenzhen to Guangzhou, Guangzhou east is one of the stations it stops on the way.
* On timetable: 00h10m from Guangzhou east to Guangzhou, depart at 2007-09-23 11:12, arrive at 2007-09-23 11:22
* Actual time: 00h09m25s from Guangzhou east to Guangzhou, depart at 2007-09-23 11:11:55, arrive at 2007-09-23 11:21:20
* Distance: 8 km (5 mi)
* Travel class: EMU second-class seat
* Cost: ¥0.00 (no ticket, or cheat)
Walk to platform 4 from platform 5 via exit way underground tunnel in Guangzhou east railway station. Train D760 arrives Guangzhou east station at 11:08:45, 00m15s ahead schedule. The serial number of the train is CRH1-004A. Train D760 leaves Guangzhou east station at 11:11:55, 00m05s ahead schedule, and arrives at Guangzhou station at 11:21:20, 00m40s ahead schedule, stops at platform 1. It is the 131st time travel on a China Railway High-speed train since April 18, 2007.
Day Five - September 23, 2007 - Guangzhou to Guangzhou north by N612
* N612 is a train line from Guangzhou to Pingshi, stops at 4 stations on its way.
* On timetable: 00h25m from Guangzhou to Guangzhou north, depart at 2007-09-23 13:13, arrive at 2007-09-23 13:38
* Actual time: 00h21m30s from Guangzhou to Guangzhou north, depart at 2007-09-23 13:13:14, arrive at 2007-09-23 13:34:44
* Distance: 27 km (17 mi)
* Travel class: new-type-air-conditioned, hard-seat (double-deck)
* Cost: ¥10.00
Exit from Guangzhou railway station. Get a ticket at window 18 in Guangzhou station ticket office at 11:50: N612, Guangzhou to Guangzhou north, depart at 2007-09-23 13:13, new-type-air-conditioned fast train, hard-seat, carriage 4 upper-floor seat 1, cost ¥10.00. Walk to nearby China Merchants Bank at 12:10, then have lunch at McDonald's 12:19 to 12:45, cost ¥13.00. Get some more food at 12:58 near the railway station, cost ¥24.50. Enter the station at 13:00, via first-floor middle-gate check-in gate, get on the train at the north side of platform 4. The serial number of carriage 4 is SYZ-25B 342147. Train N612 leaves Guangzhou station at 13:13:14, 00m14s late, and arrives Guangzhou north station at 13:34:44, 03m16s early, stops at the west side of platform 2. Get some food on the train at 13:28, cost ¥3.00.
Day Five - September 23, 2007 - Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to Tianjin Binhai Airport by HU7202
Find an electrical socket on the wall in the underground tunnel under the tracks inside Guangzhou north railway station, recharge MacBook and mobile phones, and surfing the Internet on MacBook via mobile phone GPRS connection. Leave the tunnel at 14:30 and get out of the station. Get a cab at 14:56 near the railway station, and arrive Baiyun airport at 15:19, cost ¥62.00 include airport expressway fee. The plane is a B737-300, take off from runway 02L at 17:33:08 at speed of 280 km/h, then climb to cruise altitude of 9600 meters at 18:02, 29 minutes after taking off. The highest altitude is 9690 meters along the way, and the fastest speed is 888 km/h. At 19:59:15, the plane touch the ground at Binhai airport east to Tianjin city and then stops at 39.1219 degrees north, 117.3417 degrees east at 20:03, 00h03m late as claimed by the airline.
As of the end of this trip, the writer had travelled 53,241 kilometers (33,082 miles) on 265 train rides (rapid transit not count) in 2007, costed ¥11,922.30, ¥0.2239 per kilometer on average.
Pictures: http://bbs.hasea.com/viewthread.php?tid=247630
* D540 is a train line from Tianjin to Beijing, stops at no stations on its way.
* On timetable: 01h07m, depart at 2007-09-19 12:46, arrive at 2007-09-19 13:53
* Actual time: 01h09m46s, depart at 2007-09-19 12:45:47, arrive at 2007-09-19 13:55:33
* Distance: 137 km (85 mi)
* Travel class: EMU second-class seat
* Cost: ¥43.00 (bought onboard, normal price to be ¥42.00)
Leave home at 10:40. Get a cab at 10:45 and arrive at Tianjin temporary railway station at 10:58, cost ¥16.50 [1]. Enter the station at 11:13, via elevated exit way, arrive platform 1 and wait there. Train D537 from Beijing to Tianjin arrives at its terminal station and stops at track 9 just north to platform 1 at 12:24:47, and then changes its train number to D540. Get on train D540. The serial number of the first half of the train or carriage 16 to 9 is CRH2-028A and the serial number of the second half of the train or carriage 8 to 1 is CRH2-044A. Train D540 leaves Tianjin station at 12:45:47, 00m13s ahead of schedule, and arrives Beijing station at 13:55:33, 02m33s behind schedule, stops at the south side of platform 5. Get a ticket on the train at 12:55, cost ¥43.00. It is the 129th time travel on a China Railway High-speed train since April 18, 2007.
Notes:
[1] US$100 ≈ ¥751 in September 2007
Day One to Two - September 19 to 20, 2007 - Beijing to Changsha by T1:
* T1 is a train line from Beijing west to Changsha, stops at Zhengzhou, Wuchang, Yueyang stations on its way.
* On timetable: 14h43m from Beijing west to Changsha, depart at 2007-09-19 15:48, arrive at 2007-09-20 06:31
* Actual time: 15h01m33s from Beijing west to Changsha, depart at 2007-09-19 15:49:00, arrive at 2007-09-20 06:50:33
* Distance: 1587 km (986 mi)
* Travel class: new-type-air-conditioned, express [2], hard-sleeper, upper-berth
* Cost: ¥324.00
Get a ticket just inside the exit at Beijing railway station at 14:10: T1, Beijing west to Changsha, depart at 2007-09-19 15:48, new-type-air-conditioned express train, hard-sleeper, carriage 9 bed 14 upper-berth, cost ¥324.00. Exit from Beijing station, get an air ticket just outside the exit of Beijing railway station at 14:17: Hainan Airlines flight 7202, Guangzhou Baiyun airport to Tianjin Binhai airport, departs at 2007-09-23 17:10, costs ¥810.00 include tax. Walk to Beijing station east bus station and get on bus line 9 there at 14:39, arrive at Beijing west railway station bus station at 15:19, pay using Beijing Municipal Administration and Communications Card, cost ¥0.40 with discount. Buy food at Shanghai Hualian super market near Beijing west railway station at 15:30, cost ¥3.20. Buy food at Yoshinoya Xikezhan restaurant at 15:33, cost ¥22.00. Enter the station at 15:38, via check-in gate 1 in waiting room 5, get on the train at the north side of platform 3. The serial number of carriage 3 is YW-25K 671029. Train T1 leaves Beijing west station at 15:49:00, 01m00s behind schedule, and arrive Changsha station at 06:50:33 the second day, 19m33s behind schedule, stop at track 8 at the east side of platform 4.
Notes:
[2] The travel classes are (higher to lower):
* EMU: Numbered with letter D prefix followed by 1-3 digits.
* Direct express: Numbered with letter Z prefix followed by 1-3 digits.
* Express: Numbered with letter T prefix followed by 1-3 digits.
* Fast: Numbered with letter K or N prefix followed by 1-3 digits. K-series trains travel on lines operated by more than one railway bureau or companies, while N-series trains travel within one railway bureau or company.
* General fast: Numbered with four digits and the first digit to be 1 to 5.
* General: Numbered with four digits and the first digit to be 6 to 9.
Day Two to Three - September 20 to 21, 2007 - Changsha to Zhanjiang by K157
* K157 is a train line from Beijing west to Zhanjiang, stops at 28 stations on its way.
* On timetable: 17h24m from Changsha to Zhanjiang, depart at 2007-09-20 13:46, arrive at 2007-09-21 07:10
* Actual time: 18h07m07s from Changsha to Zhanjiang, depart at 2008-09-20 14:35:14, arrive at 2007-09-21 08:42:21
* Distance: 1177 km (731 mi)
* Travel class: new-type-air-conditioned, fast, hard-sleeper, upper-berth
* Cost: ¥256.00
Exit from Changsha railway station. Get a ticket at window 18 in Changsha station ticket office at 09:31: K157, Changsha to Zhanjiang, depart at 2007-09-20 13:46, new-type-air-conditioned fast train, hard-sleeper, carriage 12 bed 22 upper-berth, cost ¥256.00. Walk to KFC Dongtang restaurant and eat there from 11:30 to 12:00, cost ¥13.00. Walk to Pozijie bus station and get on a bus at 13:17, arrive Changsha train station bus station at 13:39, cost ¥1.00. Enter the station at 13:41, and wait in waiting room 1. The station announce train K157 is late and will arrive Changsha station at 13:50 at beginning, then announce it will arrive Changsha at 14:21. Get out of the station and take some photos and get in the station again. Walk to platform 2 via check-in gate in waiting room 1. The train K157 stops at track 4 at the east side of platform 2. The serial number of carriage 12 is YW-25G 668808. The train leaves Changsha station at 14:35:14, 49m14s behind schedule, and arrives Zhanjiang station at 08:42:21 the second day, 01h32m21s behind schedule, stops at platform 1. Get some food on train K157 at 15:13 the first day, cost ¥7.00. Got some more food on train K157 at 17:26, cost ¥5.00.
Day Three - September 21, 2007 - Zhanjiang to Haikou by K511
* K511 is a train line from Shanghai south to Sanya, stops at 20 stations on its way.
* On timetable: 04h12m from Zhanjiang to Haikou, depart at 2007-09-21 14:15, arrive at 2007-09-21 18:27
* Actual time: 04h22m08s from Zhanjiang to Haikou, 2007-09-21 14:39:42, arrive at 2007-09-21 19:01:50
* Distance: 306 km (190 mi), cross Qiongzhou strait on a ship
* Travel class: new-type-air-conditioned, fast, hard-seat
* Cost: ¥70.00
Exit from Zhanjiang railway station. Reenter the station, find a electrical socket and recharge MacBook and mobile phones in the waiting room in the morning. Exit from Zhanjiang railway station at noon and walk around in the city. Get a cab at 12:34, arrives at Zhanjiang west railway station at 13:03, cost ¥60.00. Zhanjiang west railway station is a newly-built remote station that some dozens of kilometers west to Zhanjiang city. Get a ticket at Zhanjiang west station ticket office at 13:08: K511, Zhanjiang west to Haikou, depart at 2007-09-21 14:15, new-type-air-conditioned fast train, hard-seat, carriage 3 seat 76, cost ¥70.00. Get some food near Zhanjiang west railway station at 13:34, cost ¥5.50. Take some photos and then enter the station and wait in the waiting room. Train K511 arrives Zhanjiang west station at 14:36:55, 23m55s late. The serial number of carriage 3 is YZ-25G 351037. The train leaves the station at 14:39:42, 23m55s late, arrives Xuwen station at 16:09:30, 37m30s late, leaves Xuwen station at 16:11:46, 37m46s late, and then stops at Hai'an south station at 16:25:34 and waiting for the classification to cross the sea with passengers onboard. At 16:33:58, carriage 1 to 9 is separated from the rest of the train and runs 1.0 km toward south. At 16:40:04, carriage 1 to 4 is separated from carriage 5 to 9 and runs 0.6 km toward south, and then get into ship named Yuehaitie II at speed of 14 km/s at 16:52. The entry of the ship is located at 20.2301 degrees north, 110.1252 degrees east. Carriage 1 to 4 finally stops inside the ship at right-most of four tracks at 16:57:20. No power supply in train carriages during the classification and the power supply restores at 16:59:30. The ship leaves the north bank at 17:14, travels 12.5 nautical miles (23.2 kilometers) to cross the strait, and stops at 18:19 at the south bank at the Hainan island. The passengers are not allowed to get out of the carriages and walk around on the ship during the crossing of the sea. The carriages are joined together then and the train stops at platform 1 at Hainan railway station at 19:01:50, 34m50s behind schedule.
Day Four - September 22, 2007 - Haikou to Sanya by T201
* T201/204 [3] is a train line from Beijing west to Sanya, stops at 14 stations on its way.
* On timetable: 03h14m from Haikou to Sanya, depart at 2007-09-22 01:58, arrive at 2007-09-22 05:12
* Actual time: 03h34m27s from Haikou to Sanya, depart at 2007-09-22 02:17:52, arrive at 2007-09-22 05:52:19
* Distance: 363 km (226 mi)
* Travel class: new-type-air-conditioned, express, hard-sleeper
* Cost: ¥156.00
Get a ticket at temporary ticketing window inside Haikou railway station: T201, Haikou to Sanya, depart at 2007-09-22 01:58, new-type-air-conditioned express train, hard-seat, carriage 17 seat 106, cost ¥80.00. Get another ticket at the window: T202, Haikou to Guangzhou, depart at 2007-09-22 22:53, new-type-air-conditioned express train, hard-sleeper, carriage 13 bed 1 lower-berth, cost ¥265.00. Exit from Haikou railway station. Get into the station again and get some food at Haikou station, cost ¥9.50, then recharge MacBook and mobile phones in the waiting room. Change the T201 hard-seat ticket at window 5 at Haikou station ticket office with a hard-sleeper ticket at 22:35: T201, Haikou to Sanya, depart at 2007-09-22 01:58, new-type-air-conditioned express train, hard-sleeper, carriage 2 bed 1 lower-berth, price is ¥156.00, paid ¥76.00 for the price difference. Train T201 arrives Haikou station at 02:03:44 the second day, 17m44s late, stops at platform 1. The serial number of carriage 2 is YW-25T 676475. The train leaves Haikou station at 02:17:52, 19m52s late. Since the railway on Hainan island is single track, it stops mid-way at 19.7755 degrees north, 109.9757 degrees east from 02:43:34 to 03:00:55 to wait for train K408 from Sanya the opposite direction. The train arrives Dongfang station at 04:32:56, 40m56s late, and leaves Dongfang station at 04:35:18, 40m18s late, then finally arrives its terminal Sanya station at 05:52:19, 40m19s behind schedule, stops at platform 1.
Notes:
[3] Odd train number indicates a train travels down, or leave Beijing; Even train number indicates train travels up, or toward Beijing. If a train line has both up and down sections, it has two or more train numbers.
Day Four - September 22, 2007 - Sanya to Dongfang by K512
* K512 is a train line from Sanya to Shanghai south, stops at 22 stations on its way.
* On timetable: 01h29m from Sanya to Dongfang, depart at 2007-09-22 16:50, arrive at 2007-09-22 18:19
* Actual time: 01h28m17s from Sanya to Dongfang, depart at 16:49:57, arrive at 2007-09-22 18:18:14
* Distance: 157 km (98 mi)
* Travel class: new-type-air-conditioned, fast, hard-seat
* Cost: ¥80.00 (ticket is for Sanya to Haikou, get off train at Dongfang)
Exit from Sanya station. Get a ticket at window 2 in Sanya station ticket office: K512, Sanya to Haikou, depart at 2007-09-22 16:50, new-type-air-conditioned fast, carriage 5 seat 83, cost ¥80.00. Get on a bus at Sanya train station bus station, arrive Luhuitou square bus station at 07:34, cost ¥1.00. Get some food at McDonald's at 08:34 and eat there, then surfing web on MacBook with nearby free WiFi there, cost ¥18.50. Get a Li-ion rechargeable battery for Nokia N95 mobile phone at 12:40, cost ¥120.00. Ask the battery seller to recharge the the old battery from Nokia N95, then go to KFC and get some food at 12:48 and eat there, cost ¥17.00. Get on a bus at City people hospital bus station at 14:54, arrive at Sanya train station bus station at 15:13, cost ¥1.00. Enter the station. Get some food at a shop in the waiting room, cost ¥2.00. Recharge MacBook and mobile phones in the waiting room. Train K512 stops at platform 1. The serial number of carriage 5 is YZ-25G 351044. The train leaves Sanya railway station at 16:49:57, 00m03s ahead schedule, and arrives Dongfang station at 18:18:14, 00m46s ahead schedule, stops at platform 1.
Day Four to Five - September 22 to 23, 2007 - Dongfang to Guangzhou by T202
* T202 is a train line from Sanya to Beijing west, stops at 14 stations on its way.
* On timetable: 12h44m from Dongfang to Guangzhou, depart at 2007-09-22 20:48, arrive at 2007-09-23 09:32
* Actual time: 13h22m30s from Dongfang to Guangzhou, depart at 2007-09-22 20:47:36, arrive at 2007-09-23 10:10:06
* Distance: 1000 km (621 mi)
* Travel class: new-type-air-conditioned, express, hard-seat from Dongfang to Haikou, hard-sleeper from Haikou to Guangzhou
* Cost: ¥265.00 (ticket for Haikou to Guangzhou, reuse K512 ticket for the Dongfang to Haikou section at no cost)
Exit from Dongfang station. Walk to the station ticket office and try to resume trip with the K512 ticket at window 2. The ticket officer at the remote station does not know how to do this operation with the ticketing software named TRS version 5.0. By teaching the railway staff step by step, get a new ticket at no further cost required: T202, Dongfang to Haikou, depart at 2007-09-22 20:48, new-type-air-conditioned express train, carriage 15 seat 64, cost ¥0.00. Enter the station. Get some toilet paper at 18:28 in the waiting room, cost ¥2.00. Recharge MacBook and mobile phones in the waiting room. Train T202 arrives Dongfang station at 20:45:10, 00m10s late, stops at platform 1. The serial number of carriage 15 is YZ-25T 351020. The train leaves Dongfang station at 20:47:36, 00m24s early, and due to the single track, it stops somewhere on the way at 19.2331 degrees north, 108.9436 degrees east, from 21:09:45 to 21:11:20, to wait for train K511 from the opposite direction. The train arrives Haikou station at 22:48:20, 07m20s late. With the ticket bought at Haikou on September 21, get off train from carriage 15 hard-seat and get on train to carriage 13 hard-sleeper. The serial number of carriage 13 is YW-25T 676461. The train leaves Haikou at 22:58:41, 05m41s late. It stops at 23:04:53 for classification and prepare to cross the sea. Carriage 1 to 9 is separated from the rest of the train and starts moving for 0.5 km at 23:12:31 toward northwest, then stops at 23:17:22. Carriage 5 to 9 is separated from carriage 1 to 4 and starts moving for 0.2 km at 23:18:54 toward southeast, then stops at 23:21:24. Carriage 5 to 9 starts moving again at 23:21:56 for 0.3 km toward northwest, then gets into the ship, and stops inside the ship at the second of four tracks count from right at 23:26:53. The ship leaves the island at 23:37, cross the strait, and arrives the mainland at 00:45 the second day. The train arrives Guangzhou railway station at 10:10:06, 38m06s late, stops at the south side of platform 2.
Day Five - September 23, 2007 - Guangzhou to Guangzhou east by D741
* D741 is a train line from Guangzhou to Shenzhen, Guangzhou east is one of the stations it stops on the way.
* On timetable: 00h10m from Guangzhou to Guangzhou east, depart at 2007-09-23 10:58, arrive at 2007-09-23 11:08
* Actual time: 00h09m25s from Guangzhou to Guangzhou east, depart at 2007-09-23 10:55:05, arrive at 2007-09-23 11:04:30
* Distance: 8 km (5 mi)
* Travel class: EMU second-class seat
* Cost: ¥10.00 (bought onboard)
Walk to platform 1 from platform 2 via entry way in Guangzhou railway station. Train D740 arrives its terminal Guangzhou station at 10:33:32, 01m28s ahead schedule, stops at platform 1, and then change its train number to D741 and prepare for its next trip back to Shenzhen. The serial number of the train is CRH1-015A. Train D741 leaves Guangzhou station at 10:55:05, 02m55s ahead schedule, and arrives Guangzhou east station at 11:04:30, 03m30s ahead schedule, stops at the north side of platform 5. Get a ticket on the train at 10:58, cost ¥10.00. It is the 130th time travel on a China Railway High-speed train since April 18, 2007.
Day Five - September 23, 2007 - Guangzhou east to Guangzhou by D760
* D760 is a train line from Shenzhen to Guangzhou, Guangzhou east is one of the stations it stops on the way.
* On timetable: 00h10m from Guangzhou east to Guangzhou, depart at 2007-09-23 11:12, arrive at 2007-09-23 11:22
* Actual time: 00h09m25s from Guangzhou east to Guangzhou, depart at 2007-09-23 11:11:55, arrive at 2007-09-23 11:21:20
* Distance: 8 km (5 mi)
* Travel class: EMU second-class seat
* Cost: ¥0.00 (no ticket, or cheat)
Walk to platform 4 from platform 5 via exit way underground tunnel in Guangzhou east railway station. Train D760 arrives Guangzhou east station at 11:08:45, 00m15s ahead schedule. The serial number of the train is CRH1-004A. Train D760 leaves Guangzhou east station at 11:11:55, 00m05s ahead schedule, and arrives at Guangzhou station at 11:21:20, 00m40s ahead schedule, stops at platform 1. It is the 131st time travel on a China Railway High-speed train since April 18, 2007.
Day Five - September 23, 2007 - Guangzhou to Guangzhou north by N612
* N612 is a train line from Guangzhou to Pingshi, stops at 4 stations on its way.
* On timetable: 00h25m from Guangzhou to Guangzhou north, depart at 2007-09-23 13:13, arrive at 2007-09-23 13:38
* Actual time: 00h21m30s from Guangzhou to Guangzhou north, depart at 2007-09-23 13:13:14, arrive at 2007-09-23 13:34:44
* Distance: 27 km (17 mi)
* Travel class: new-type-air-conditioned, hard-seat (double-deck)
* Cost: ¥10.00
Exit from Guangzhou railway station. Get a ticket at window 18 in Guangzhou station ticket office at 11:50: N612, Guangzhou to Guangzhou north, depart at 2007-09-23 13:13, new-type-air-conditioned fast train, hard-seat, carriage 4 upper-floor seat 1, cost ¥10.00. Walk to nearby China Merchants Bank at 12:10, then have lunch at McDonald's 12:19 to 12:45, cost ¥13.00. Get some more food at 12:58 near the railway station, cost ¥24.50. Enter the station at 13:00, via first-floor middle-gate check-in gate, get on the train at the north side of platform 4. The serial number of carriage 4 is SYZ-25B 342147. Train N612 leaves Guangzhou station at 13:13:14, 00m14s late, and arrives Guangzhou north station at 13:34:44, 03m16s early, stops at the west side of platform 2. Get some food on the train at 13:28, cost ¥3.00.
Day Five - September 23, 2007 - Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to Tianjin Binhai Airport by HU7202
Find an electrical socket on the wall in the underground tunnel under the tracks inside Guangzhou north railway station, recharge MacBook and mobile phones, and surfing the Internet on MacBook via mobile phone GPRS connection. Leave the tunnel at 14:30 and get out of the station. Get a cab at 14:56 near the railway station, and arrive Baiyun airport at 15:19, cost ¥62.00 include airport expressway fee. The plane is a B737-300, take off from runway 02L at 17:33:08 at speed of 280 km/h, then climb to cruise altitude of 9600 meters at 18:02, 29 minutes after taking off. The highest altitude is 9690 meters along the way, and the fastest speed is 888 km/h. At 19:59:15, the plane touch the ground at Binhai airport east to Tianjin city and then stops at 39.1219 degrees north, 117.3417 degrees east at 20:03, 00h03m late as claimed by the airline.
As of the end of this trip, the writer had travelled 53,241 kilometers (33,082 miles) on 265 train rides (rapid transit not count) in 2007, costed ¥11,922.30, ¥0.2239 per kilometer on average.
Pictures: http://bbs.hasea.com/viewthread.php?tid=247630
