On my recent vacation in Beijing my family decided to try out the bullet train that travels from Beijing to Tianjin. The train line was only opened just before the Beijing Olympics. The Chinese say it is the fastest train of that type on the planet.

To catch the train we went to the Beijing South railway station. It is located just off the south part of the second ring road. We got there by catching bus no. 800. We got off near Kaiyang Road. There is an overpass that took us across the ring canal next to the bus stop, then an underpass to go under the ring road. We headed west then turned south into Kaiyang Road. There is a pedestrian overpass that we went up and headed down towards the station. After getting off the overpass we found that there was a shuttle bus to take us to the West Entrance.

We walked into the colussus of a train station. I had been told that it is the biggest in Asia. I guess it is true, the station is huge. It looks more like an airport terminal. After entering the station we had to pass through a security check where they scanned our belongings.

Next up we found the self serve ticket vending machines. The machines have english or chinese language options. The fares offered were for first and second class. The first class train ticket from Beijing to Tianjin was 69rmb, while second class was 58rmb. We selected first class for the trip to Tianjin and second for the return leg. Our daughters ticket was 34.50rmb. She is six.

We had a 30 minute wait until the train was due to depart. There was plenty of seating so we sat back and waited. At 16.20 we got called to board our train for the 16.35 departure. We went down an escalator onto the platform and saw the sleek looking train. We walked all the way towards the back to board the first class section.

On entering the train you would have thought you were on an airplane. The seats were much the same as on a plane and the train attendants were dressed in a uniform much the same as an airhostess. A few minutes after boarding we were on our way.

The train gradually built up speed as it left Beijing headed for Tianjin. The journey was to take exactly 30 minutes. That is how it turned out. Inside the train there was a display that showed the speed of the train. This slowly increased as I watched the countryside whiz by. After around 10 minutes I saw the speed register at 331km. At one point a train passed up by and it was there one second gone the next.

Sitting on the train you would not know you were going so fast unless you look just straight down at the closest objects. I advise against this as you will probably end up suffering from motion sickness. The train is also nice and smooth. At that type of speed that is a good thing. There was a passenger across the aisle from me who had a jar of tea sitting on the window sill. This was hardly moving.

We arrived in Tianjian right on time. We got off went out and then back into the terminal. The Tianjin train station is also huge. We waited about 10 minutes and then we were back on the train for our return journey. This time it was in second class. The seating configuration had three seats on one side of the aisle and two on the other. There was less leg room however that is to be expected.

Once again the journey took 30 minutes. We arrived back in Beijing and made our way out of the station. At the time there were temporary buses running from the station to a nearby bus interchange.

The train was very impressive as was the new Beijing South train station. I would suggest taking first class both ways if you are going to catch the train.

Overall I recommend just going on the train for the experience.