Ok, so I am just under a month out from my next trip to China, dealing with how to get my train tickets b/c she can't be in Beijing, went through the site buzz linked, I have to achieve points. That is to say the least, obnoxious. I found a couple other tour group sites that offer train booking, they all have nasty little overages and delivery fees associated with their service, appears to be a form of extortion to me. So for $25 over the price of the ticket and delivery of the ticket to me at the airport, they will do a transfer to Beijing West, sorry, I'm not going east or North, so the main station is out of the picture as is the bus from the airport. The $25 is about the same as a cab fare, so I figure what the hell, won't have to fight my bags through the subway.
Now my "agent" is telling me that 3 hours is not enough time from deplaning to make a train at BeijingXi?
What the
? I have never had a cab take an hour from the west station to the airport or vice versa. Granted, I do not have a great number of trips through Beijing, but I've negotiated it more than once. The only long customs experience I had was at Terminal 2 with Delta, which a few folks know from my first trip and the Seattle incident, will be some time before I brave them again.
So for the guys in the Beijing area, advice. The comment she gave me is I am arriving on the summer holiday and the students are all flocking to the trains?? I'm landing August 27. I think the agent is trying to work me for another $20 in train ticket money, because she is "advising" I buy a ticket for a sleeper cabin. If my bride to be were meeting me in Beijing, this would probably be a good option to me, but... not the case.
Ok, so again, thoughts on traffic conditions and train schedules getting from Capital airport, to Beijing West train station, flight lands at 13:45 Beijing time, Train I want pulls out at 16:31.
Thanks
Lloyd