Second class seat is one of seat classes on the passenger train running on China national railways. Since it is only available on the passenger car of China high speed bullet trains (hereafter abbreviated as CRH Train), it's also called as CRH Train second class seat. On most CRH trains, second class seat can meet the service standards for soft seat, however, few CRH trains such as CRH6 train sets have second class seat that is equivalent to hard seat in terms of comfort. Ticket price for second class seat is same with that of standing ticket, lower than that of first class seat. For similar travel distance, cost on second class seat on the CRH train is higher than that of hard sleeper or lower than that of soft sleeper on the conventional train. Second class seat is somewhat the lowest seat class on the CRH train.
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Second class seat is a kind of seating type that is arranged in the passenger car of CRH trains to let passengers to travel with. As early as 2005, some EMU trains introduced from abroad or made in China already had second class seats inside. For example, the China Star (DJJ2) train was comprised of 6 second class seat coaches. With the approach of high speed train era, second class seat has been widely popularized. To almost all CRH trains, second class seat is indispensible. It is said, in the future, second class seat will be replaced by side seat on the new type small and medium volume trains such as CRH6F train sets.
☝ An interior photo of a second class seat carriage on China high speed bullet train.
Comfort: Second class seat is equivalent to soft seat in terms of comfort. It is made of materials that is slightly elastic. Unlike that of hard seat, second class seat can provide basic comfort with best occupation time of less than 4 hours. Price: Second class seat has price that is higher than hard seat, soft seat, hard sleeper and even soft sleeper on the regular speed train. Low-Income people in the country would still opt to the regular train for the trip. Seating Arrangement : most CRH trains have second class seats in 2+3 structure. That is, 2 seats on one side of the aisle and 3 on another side. CRH6A train set, on other hand, has 2+2 configuration for the purpose of increasing standing space to transport more people in rush hours. Additional Functionality : Most second class seats have accessories such as bi-fold tray tables, back angle adjustment, spare bags, power ports and etc. On CRH6 trains, many accessories are removed while handrails are added for standing passengers to hold on.
Second Class Seat vs Hard Seat: second class seat is more comfortable than hard seat. Hard seat facilities are not independent and its back angle is not adjustable. What's more, hard seat is padded with similar materials used on hard mattess. Second Class Seat vs Soft Seat: second class seat is less comfortable than soft seat which uses soft cushion. Some of soft seats even have reserved space for armrest. However, less and less people are using soft seats. Second Class Seat vs Other Seating Type: second class seat is less comfortable than first class seat, premium class seat, business class seat as well as hard sleeper or soft sleeper.
☝ China High Speed Bullet Train Second Class Seat Map
Second class seat carriage, on the other hand, is also used by standing ticket holders. That means, second class seat coach may turn overcrowding in peak period when many people without reserved seats are standing along the aisle.
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