#DavidTrainMic

Overloaded trains remain a problem in South Asia — Bangladesh, in particular, but India is also seeing a lot of riders. In China, this was previously a problem as well — people were even getting onboard via the windows!... Things are, however, quite different these days in the High Speed era...

Want to take a sh*t in China's railway stations? Not so fast. To the uninitiated, half trying to use a squat toilet can well be folks to feel it's s like bloody murder. Yet it didn't have to be... and thankfully, it's no longer really the case. The throne toilet we're used to is making its way back....

What's the "tallest" (as in: station at highest elevation) High Speed railway station in the world? Much as yours truly is a Swiss, it's not in Switzerland — or Europe. Enter Shandan Racecourse/Shandanmachang railway station, which at around 3'600 metres above sea level, is as "up high" as it gets f...

Talk about spending time in front of the onboard microphone! Classic Rail services in China are known to have long, varying-in-topics, music-rich, and occasionally news in the onboard announcements. You're told how long your next leg will be, but also how to stay alert and avoid fraudsters on the go...

Loud/annoying/effective enough door close chimes fast/slow enough to ensure ontime departures? Thick enough rubber strips to prevent the door slamming into your fingers and crushing your bones? As a commuter, specialist, enthusiast, and just everyday-traveller with the railways, I've been on, or see...

It's supposed to be a Green way to get around, but pre-2008, the Beijing Subway suffered from a paper-intensive, outdated ticketing system making frequent journeys rather less attractive. These days, though, it's all smartcards and QR codes, making the system smarter — and genuinely Greener...

As families across China honour their ancestors over Tomb Sweeping Festival, the spring travel season has also kicked off — and Chinese railways are carrying more people than ever, with a new one-day record set in early April 2024. The railways are getting busy, once again.

Zürich Airport always seems to have this, that, and the other part renovated, expanded, or renewed. Everything from the toilet flush buttons to the immigration desks have been refreshed. The only thing missing: an expansion to its railway station. In this day and age where flight shaming very much r...

With expats returning and first-time foreigners inbound, it's no longer just OK for the Chinese railways to have partially bilingual signage. The world's largest HSR network needs a better English-language service — at info desks, online, everywhere. China has reopened. It's time to get China's Rail...

28 March 2024 (Impromptu Announcement 2): Classic Rail in China, For Cheap? For Good, Too!Get mileage for just the equivalent of 10p — as low as it can go on a Permit to Travel in the UK, but in China, it's a short-haul full-fare ticket on a classic Green Train on Classic Rail!The Green Trains are s...