Share the journey and more

There has been a lot of talk of trains: the new real-name ticketing system, the crackdown on scalpers and an estimated 210 million passengers readying to overwhelm the railway network ahead of Lunar New Year.

Everyone is focused on getting hold of elusive tickets now, but in a week's time, millions will be sharing in another collective experience - the camaraderie of the train ride.

I frequently travel the Beijing-Harbin route. As a child, I boarded the old clunker trains; by now I've upgraded to soft sleeper-only trains. Although I can well afford to take a 90-minute flight, I prefer the train, for old time's sake.