I woke early to get my free breakfast in the restaurant car…
… and was left disappointed. The meal consisted of 2 slices of bread, a hard-boiled egg and a cup of green tea. The restaurant car was three-quarters empty, the passengers who slept in made the better decision.
The Trans-Mongolian K4次 back in China at Zhangjiakou South.
2 hours after breakfast service, I went back for lunch at 9am. They had a side table setting for lunch.
The free lunch provided. I was told that there would be one vegetable dish and one meat dish. Apparently capsicums were considered meat, together with the 5 slices of luncheon meat-like pieces which tasted like fishcake instead.
The interior of the Chinese restaurant car. There are local Chinese on board now, who probably got on the train from Erlian and other stations within China itself. The train has also been extended significantly since Erlian.
Passing a military train heading in the opposite direction.
Travelling parallel to the Yongding River.
The modern railway slowly creeps up with high-speed lines passing over and under the train…
… and suddenly hits you in the face after travelling for 7 days seeing low platforms and normal trains.
From being the highest-priority trains on the tracks from Russia to Mongolia, the K4 is now ranked third in priority for classes of normal trains. Sixth if you count high-speed trains sharing the line.
Approaching Beijing Railway Station, the final station of this leg of my journey.
My final time getting off the K4 after 6 nights.
The K4 back in Beijing, right on time. I didn’t make it in time to get to the front to catch the final locomotive – it was decoupled almost immediately (I saw it departing the platforms) and I was around 16 coaches away from the front.
Exiting the station through an underpass, together with the passengers from many other arriving trains.
The exit of the Beijing Railway Station. Non-passengers are not allowed into the station area.
The facade of Beijing Railway Station, terminal station of the Trans-Mongolian, 7595km away from Moscow Yaroslavsky.
The moment I walked out of the exit, I was greeted with 2 middle-aged women grabbing each other and trying to pull each others’ hair out, with both of their husbands trying to pull them apart and each family behind them shouting and cursing at each other.
Indeed, I am now in China.
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