Can I choose an upper or lower sleeper berth when booking?

At a glance

• 12306’s published berth-selection service covers eligible soft sleepers, hard sleepers and EMU sleeper classes. Its June 2023 launch covered 230 trains; that launch number is historical, so use the selector on your actual departure to see whether it is offered. [1]
• Hard sleepers offer upper, middle and lower preferences; soft sleepers offer upper and lower. The Chinese labels are 上铺, 中铺 and 下铺. [1]
• Passengers aged 60 or over receive priority for lower-berth allocation. This is a priority rule within available inventory. [1]
• If the requested type cannot be supplied, 12306 can allocate another berth and let the buyer accept or cancel. Inspect the result before completing the purchase. [1]
• Station ticket windows can also handle berth-selection requests. The transport rules accept a foreign passport as a ticket identity document. [1] [2]

What to do next

1. Before tickets open, decide whether the berth is a preference or a physical requirement. A traveller who cannot climb needs a confirmed lower berth, a suitable daytime seat or another transport arrangement. Complete the passenger’s passport details and age correctly before the sale; do not try to improve priority by altering a date of birth.
2. Search the route and date in 12306. Select the sleeper class you actually want, then look for 选铺 on the booking screen. Request 下铺 for lower, 中铺 for middle where available, or 上铺 for upper. A berth selector is different from choosing a seat beside a window on a daytime train.
3. Read the allocated berth before paying. Check each passenger separately: coach, berth number, upper or lower, and any change in price. If a lower berth is essential and the result is upper, reject that result and try another eligible departure or ask a staffed ticket window for a lower berth on an alternative train.
4. For a group, submit the passengers together when practical and inspect the whole allocation. Being on one order is useful for organising the purchase, but does not create extra lower berths. Decide in advance whether you would accept different compartments or a later departure in exchange for the berth you need.
5. If your English booking interface or agent does not display berth selection, ask whether it can request a lower berth and whether the ticket has actually been issued. At a railway ticket window, show the Chinese card below, the travel date and the passport of the passenger who needs the berth. Request an alternative departure if the first train cannot supply it.
6. Save the issued ticket details. On board, use the berth printed in the booking and ask the attendant for help if another passenger is there. If a voluntary swap is offered, make sure everyone affected agrees and tell the attendant; do not start by occupying somebody else’s lower berth.

If your situation is different

If you are under 60 but have a mobility need, explain that need at the staffed window and ask for an available lower berth. The published age preference does not mean younger passengers are prohibited from booking lower berths. Make the actual allocation your go/no-go point.

If you are travelling with a child, choose the adult’s and child’s ticket requirements before choosing bunks. A family may prefer one lower berth for easy access and an upper berth for another adult. Check whether a child has their own berth in the actual order rather than counting a child passenger as an extra bed automatically.

If price matters more than easy access, compare the quoted upper, middle and lower fares on that train. Choose an upper berth if you are comfortable climbing and the saving is worthwhile. Keep shoes, water and the items needed overnight together so that you do not repeatedly climb down through a sleeping compartment.

If privacy is the priority, choose the sleeper class and compartment type before concentrating on upper versus lower. A requested lower berth in a shared sleeper is still in a shared space. For two people, inspect all the issued details before assuming you have a private compartment.

Common mistakes

• Treating a lower-berth request as the ticket. The request tells the system what you prefer; the allocation tells you what you bought.
• Assuming the 60-plus priority reserves every lower berth for older passengers. It is an allocation preference, so younger travellers can still request available lower berths.
• Paying an agent for “priority” without asking what it means. Ask whether the product is a request service or an already issued ticket with a stated berth.
• Booking an upper berth despite being unable to climb, expecting a stranger to exchange. Solve that requirement before travel through an available lower berth or a different service.

Quick questions