During the recent National Day holiday in China, a video showcasing a double-decker train captured a lot of attention. Let’s take a closer look at it.
The train featured in the video is the K1002, which operates between Baoji, Shaanxi, and Chongqing West. It departed Baoji at 6:36 PM, making stops at seven stations, including Yangling, Xianyang, and Xi’an, before arriving in Chongqing at 6:48 AM the following day. The entire journey takes 12 hours and 12 minutes. Over this National Day holiday, a total of eight trips were made, carrying more than 27,000 passengers.
This train, officially known as the 25K type double-decker passenger train, is designed with cars that are approximately 25 meters long, and the “K” indicates that it is a fast train, traveling at about 140 kilometers per hour. In terms of appearance, the double-decker train resembles an elongated version of a double-decker bus.
So, what are the facilities and environment like inside the train? Let’s check in with CCTV reporter Chen Xi as he explores this unique ride.
“The train I’m exploring today, due to its different route, has the train number K5446 and operates in the morning,” said Chen Xi. “On this ticket, there is a marking for “lower” which you won’t find on single-decker trains. The terms “upper” and “lower” help distinguish between the two levels, with “lower” indicating that my seat is on the lower deck.”
As one steps inside the carriages, a staircase divides the train into two levels. For those seeking a closer connection to the ground, the lower level is ideal. However, if you prefer a higher vantage point, the upper deck offers an elevated view, approximately a meter higher than that of a standard train.
In terms of layout, both double-decker and standard trains offer hard seats, hard sleepers, soft sleepers, dining cars, and power generation cars. While the lower level on the double-decker train features hard seats and dining similar to those on a regular train, the upper level includes unique seating options not found on typical trains.
Passenger Mr. Pang noted, “I was surprised to see single seats at either end of the hard seat carriage. This is my first time riding in this type of seat. There’s a small table in front of me for placing a tablet or similar items.”
In the upper level of the soft sleeper section, there are rare “double rooms,” each with two beds and large windows providing fantastic views while offering a relatively quiet space.
As for meal times, passengers can head to the dining car where they not only find home-style dishes but also regional specialties from Shaanxi, like Yangrou Paomo and Oil-splashed Noodles, which can be described in local dialect as “lively and delicious!”
According to Sun Gewen, the train conductor from Xi’an Railway Bureau, “The hard sleeper car on the double-decker train has a total of 80 bunks, but due to the stairs, it can be inconvenient for some passengers. To address this, we have designated specific lower bunks near the door for passengers with special needs, ensuring that the washroom facilities are more spacious and accessible.”
These double-decker trains primarily serve as backup transport during peak travel times. Most of these double-decker trains, originally introduced in the 1990s, are rarely seen today. The K1002 has been in service since 2003, marking 21 years of operation. After 2017, with the introduction of new types of passenger trains, these “double-decker veterans” have gradually faded from the public eye, mainly serving during busy periods such as Spring Festival and holiday getaways.
Liu Ying, the deputy station manager at Baoji East Station, explained, “With the rapid recovery of the tourism market and an increase in intercity commuting needs in Shaanxi, our analysis of ticket sales shows concentrated passenger flow, especially on weekends from Baoji to Yulin and during holidays to Sichuan and Chongqing. To accommodate this, we flexibly adjust our service arrangements, combining ‘weekend provincial trips with holiday cross-region services’ to maximize the capacity of our double-decker trains.”
In addition to the services running in Shaanxi, the Kunming Railway Bureau has operated double-decker tourist trains for ten consecutive years to connect the tourist hubs of Kunming, Dali, and Lijiang. During this year’s National Day holiday, these tourist trains carried 15,000 passengers, bringing the total to 7,300 trains and over 10 million passengers transported in the past decade.
(Reported by Chen Xi, CCTV; Edited by Shici)
