Shanghai railway station
I’m in a taxi headed to the Shanghai Railway Station. I hope I’m heading to the right place. I thought I was supposed to go to the new Shanghai South Railway Station but the guys at the hotel who helped me with the taxi said I needed this one, not South.
If they were wrong I can probably just get a different ticket but there’s not enough time now to get to the other one!
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OK…I made it on the train and all appears OK. The station was a typical Chinese mass of humanity, but once I figured out what was going on, with a little help from sone other passengers, I found my way to the #1 train seat 38. I’m actually sitting in 37 as an older gentleman who might be just as lost as me has settled into my assigned seat. No matter, this gives me the window so I’ll be able to see and take photos if anything interesting appears.
Train #1 is definitely the first class car. Not opulent but like a plane it has only 4 seats across and a couple attendents looking after us. When I first got on the train I just followed the crowd into the “4th” class cars. More crowded seating and no one around to direct me. I bet that section is not assigned seats and just general boarding.
The train just pulled out of the station. Very smooth so far. I know this isn’t a MagLev but the D trains (I’m on D5673) are supposed to be the new faster trains. I think that means that they make no stops along the way and perhaps actually move faster too. The Internet has some posts about a new MagLev that is in construction between Hangzhou and Shanghai intended to be ready by the World Expo.
Like every where I’ve been in China there is a ton of building going on. The station was under construction, and I read that the South station is brand new.
I just noticed the display over the doorway. It lists speed among other details, so I’ll have to take note how fast we get going once we get outside the city.
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Update: Looks like our cruising speed is 160km/HR or about 100mph. Very smooth going. Really a pleasant way to travel.
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Made it to Hangzhou, and was met at the station by a volunteer helping out at the conference. Things are a bit confused both at the hotel desk and the conference registration desk, but I’m sure they’ll get things ironed out. Must be tough to organize a conference where the local staff mostly do not speak English, and there are attendees from all over the planet, so lots of languages. I overheard one conversation about the need for a separate dining room for some of the participants who require a strict muslim diet. I’m guessing that includes no pork which I’m sure would be problematic in any regular Chinese banquet buffet.