As someone who grew up in a small town in Ireland and went to university in Dublin – a capital city with a population of over a million people but only two tram lines – I was instantly impressed by Melbourne’s public transport network when I moved here.
With the largest tram network in the world now on my doorstep, a reliable metro train system with frequent services easily getting me from A to B, and fare caps on
V/Line trains allowing me to explore regional Victoria for the price of an iced latte, I couldn’t believe my luck!
But as dazzled as I was by Melbourne’s transport system, I was about to experience awe on another level when I visited Japan.
My first experience on the train
When I arrived at Haneda Airport in Tokyo after my red-eye flight, I was feeling pretty overwhelmed and exhausted, but I had no choice but to power through and make my way to my accommodation.
The Narita Sky Access train line, the Keisei line and the JR line all connect directly to the airport, which is very handy. My trip had been organised by a tour company, which had given me step-by-step directions to my hotel in Sumida via train, but I was a bit confused by these directions so I went to the information desk at the train station to ask for help. They kindly explained that the directions I had been given were completely wrong and would have taken me to a station a 10-hour walk from my hotel!
Once armed with the correct directions, I managed to safely get to my destination and collapse in a heap on the bed.
Buying a ticket
I purchased a rechargeable green Suica card for 500 yen (about $5.37 AUD) and topped it up by a few thousand yen to get me started. Unlike in Australia where Sydney has its Opal cards and Melbourne has Mykis, and neer the twain shall meet, you can actually use your Suica card in different cities around Japan. You can even use it to buy snacks and drinks at vending machines!
This card can be returned at the end of your trip at designated JR stations or ticket counters, and your deposit will be refunded as well as the remaining balance on your card – you just have to pay a 220 yen handling fee.
Alternatively, you can buy a red “Welcome” Suica card, which is especially for visitors to Japan. It lasts 28 days and you won’t have to pay a deposit.
Navigating Tokyo trains
I’m not going to lie – getting around Tokyo by train can be intimidating. During my trip, I visited the second busiest train station in the world, Shibuya Station, which transports about three million passengers every single day. It’s the main connecting hub for rail traffic between central/eastern Tokyo and Western Tokyo on inter-city, commuter and subway rail lines, and it’s a sight to behold. Pop above ground and you’ll find the biggest pedestrian crossing in the world – Shibuya Crossing, which can have up to 3000 people crossing at once.
As the train stations in Tokyo are so crowded, organisation is key. You need to know where you’re going and have your Suica card topped up and ready to go, or you’ll be leaving a long line of frustrated commuters waiting behind you. Etiquette is also important – everyone lines up neatly on the left side of escalators, following directional arrows through the stations and queuing in an orderly fashion at points on the platforms that indicate where the doors of each carriage on the train will open. Inside the trains, the passengers tend to be silent – loud conversations and phone calls are frowned upon. Thankfully, you’re also not very likely to be forced to breathe in the aromas of your fellow commuter’s tuna sandwich, as eating on public transport is pretty taboo.
When it comes to rush hour, though, all hell breaks loose! While an Australian might look at a train that’s completely full to the brim with people and admit defeat, the commuters of Japan don’t seem to have the same thought process. I saw one woman tenaciously fighting her way inside a carriage that was so packed that her arm didn’t fit through the doors. Said arm dangled outside the train while the doors attempted to close on it and she screamed. Eventually, with the help of staff on the platform, her arm joined her on the train. With another train coming in three minutes’ time, I wasn’t sure it was worth the drama. . .
Scenes like this are apparently a common occurrence in Tokyo, with “pushers” hired to physically push people onto trains and make sure they are full to capacity. I recommend avoiding the trains during rush hour unless you want to get up close and personal with someone’s armpit.
Although many of the train stations have multiple levels and can get very confusing, after a couple of days I was able to navigate the network quite easily with the help of Google Maps. As a bonus, if you miss your train or go the wrong way, there’s usually another train in a few minutes to get you where you need to go.
The trains are remarkably punctual, and if there is even the smallest delay, the train operator will usually apologise over the intercom. When a train is more than five minutes late, the staff at each station along the way will issue “lateness slips” to passengers, proving that their tardiness for work was through no fault of their own. In 2018, A Shinkansen bullet train accidentally departed 25 seconds early. Japan Railways said in a statement that the “great inconvenience” placed upon customers was “truly inexcusable”.
The bullet train
I was lucky enough to get the famous Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto, which was one of the highlights of my trip. The Shinkansen was the world’s first high-speed rail network and the trains travel at up to 320 kilometres an hour.
It took me to Kyoto in just two hours and 15 minutes, and the ride was so smooth it was hard to believe how fast we were travelling. The train was clean and quiet, with great views of the Japanese countryside. If you’re lucky you can even catch a glimpse of Mt Fuji – make sure you get a window seat on the right-hand side!
The only downside of the bullet train that I could see was if you have large baggage, you have to pre-book a storage area for it. Otherwise you’re going to have to be able to lift it into the overhead racks, and you risk putting your back out – like my poor friend who kindly (but foolishly) offered to help me with my bags!
With the train a major tourist attraction in itself, making it extremely easy to travel between major cities around Japan, it’s clear that the country’s investment in high-speed rail has paid off. I, like many Rail Express readers, am dreaming of the day Australia follows suit.
High-speed rail in China
Words by Chris Edwards
When I arrived in Shenzhen in 2013, I had no idea what high-speed rail in China looked like. As a fresh-faced man in his early 30s, I was unsure what to expect from what is now one of the leading proponents of Chinese infrastructure. Now, I am a massive supporter. Having travelled tens of thousands of kilometres across the Chinese rail system, I have a solid understanding of not just the system, but routes and timings.
My first ever trip on high-speed rail in China was on one of the most trafficked routes in the country between Shenzhen and Guangzhou, not dissimilar to travelling between Sydney and Melbourne by air. On the main high-speed route, trains depart every five to ten minutes, with express trains completing the 118-kilometre journey in just 29 minutes. A trip to Beijing took about 10 hours (11 hours if taken on an overnight high-speed sleeper train), and travelling to Shanghai took anywhere from 8 to 11 hours, depending on the number of transfers and the use of express trains.
Buying a ticket
Buying a train ticket when I first arrived in China was a daunting experience. Practically every transaction was conducted in Mandarin, and as a foreigner, I had to visit ticket booths and arrange for the tickets myself. This has since changed, with apps like Trip.com offering an easy English language booking service. It’s not as fast as the official platform, but I found its fees to be reasonable. As long as you weren’t trying to book things immediately, you generally got into the class of seating and the time you wanted.
Buying a ticket is now akin to purchasing an airline ticket. Pick your departure and arrival cities, select the relevant day, and then scroll through the (sometimes) long list of timetabled services. However, the significant difference lies in when the tickets go on sale. For most of the year, tickets are only available 15 days before departure. This is, in part, to minimise the impact of scalpers trying to take up spots and then on-sell the tickets at a higher price. It can make planning far more challenging, as you may not be able to purchase the exact tickets you need or want.
Buying tickets during Chinese New Year or any of the Golden Weeks presents a unique challenge. These are times of the year when people travel for holidays, or, in the case of Chinese New Year, return to their home towns to spend time with their families. In this case, tickets are released about four weeks prior to the travel date. These tickets sell out quickly – really quickly. Some routes sell out faster than Taylor Swift tickets. I remember having to make note of the exact time and date tickets went on sale – it was the only way to secure a spot in the first wave of purchasers and ensure we got the tickets we wanted.
My local colleagues also felt this stress. Some of them could only access one specific set of routes to get home each year, which would run once a day, and it regularly sold out early. Unofficial reminders would be sent through group chats to ensure we all had the best chance to obtain the tickets. The additional trains put on during this period would help, but over 14,000 train journeys would not be enough to help everyone.
The train stations
The high-speed rail stations can be a considerable distance from the city, but some of them have been integrated into city centres. The station I used to go to regularly was Shenzhen North Railway Station. Built just north of the core of Shenzhen, Shenzhen North now has three different metro lines running through it, with a fourth line due to run under its western concourse. This is in addition to the 20 platforms dedicated to high-speed trains, with trains running almost non-stop from 6am until midnight.
It was an imposing building at 40 metres tall. Much of its height is buried in a local mountain, with the range of tracks heading north and south. One metro line ran through the basement of the station, while the other two lines ran through the roof of the station. It makes for one of the longest subway transfers I have experienced, and I would actively seek a better way to commute to and from.
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