China’s high-speed passengers no longer have to eat overpriced mush-with-rice

Despite traveling at 300km per hour, as of today, it is now possible to order take away to your train seat. No longer do you need to circumnavigate the misery of the plastic yellow trays of microwaved mush-with-rice. And, yes, of course, you can pay by WeChat.

The official train booking system, 12306, has allowed restaurants to integrate with the high-speed train network. So far, 27 stations offer the service (see list below) as part of the pilot, but only along the high-speed bullet train (高铁) network.

Passengers can use the 12306 app or website to order food from a station along their route and must place the order at least two hours before they are due to reach the station. The food is prepared by the restaurant, delivered to the station, loaded on to the train and then brought right to your seat.

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