Changing China seen from the 'hard seats' of a train

The BBC's Angus Foster boards a train in China 26 years after making a similar journey with the cheapest ticket.

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I loved this posting.Thankyou

So many personal memories.
Maybe repeating myself but railways were my life. As a Railway Engineer for 35 years I lived and worked in many countries.
Yes, my company actually paid me a salary the sent me off travelling around the world, all expenses paid to enjoy my hobby.
We all know what that means. I never did a day's work in my life. Hehehe

I have so many wonderful memories of train journeys in china. Hard seats included. But fantsatic adventures and truly wonderful people came into my heart.

I just want to add something to this thread for all you adventurers out there. Think about this.

The Qinghai–Tibet Railway ('The Lhasa Express')

From an Engineering, technical and scenic aspect this is a true wonder of the modern world.
It's actually considered to be one of the greatest feats achieved in modern Chinese history by the current government. And by me.
There's even a song written for it called 'Tianlu' (Road to Heaven ) by Chinese-Tibetan folk singer Han Hong.

What a deam route:-
Beijing, Chengdu, Lanzhou, Xining, Guangzhou and Chongqing are all starting stations for the 'Lhasa express'.

Even more amazing is that this epic adventure is now possible from China's Special Administrative Region in the south to its Tibetan Autonomous Region in the far west.

Meaning from Hong Kong to Lhasa.

OK, so it means taking taking two trains. But this will be the journey of your life.
The T98 from Hong Kong to Beijing (2,475km in 23hrs and 36mins) followed by the T27 from Beijing to Lhasa (4,064km in 47hrs and 28mins).

The T27 train Beijing to Lhasa with pre-booked 'Soft Sleeper' class (Bottom Berth) is priced at around £150

I've taken this from Guangzhou to Lhasa and it's just awesome.
I may never get the chance to experience the leg from Hong Kong to Lhasa , but anyway this one definitely goes onto my 'bucket list'

My daughter did the Trans Siberian railway trip some decade or so ago. She was thinking of going further and therefore into China but there was a nasty virus or two kicking around at the time, as you might recall.