for long distance travellers the mode switch is a massive hindrance. transferring from one train to another at the same station is a lot easier than having to l

for long distance travellers the mode switch is a massive hindrance. transferring from one train to another at the same station is a lot easier than having to leave the train station to enter local transport, and then transfer back to a train. that's two transfers in an unfamiliar city. it's just not practical. in beijing getting from a long distance train on one station to one on another could easily take an hour, whereas a direct transfer if both trains are at the same station would take minutes. but that's an academic example because the chinese long distance rail system is not designed for transfers anyways. you would almost always get a direct train between major cities, unless you are going extremly far, like guangzhou to harbin. i don't remember ever having to transfer trains when traveling in china.