Beijing Train Stations - Three Main High Speed Railway Stations

Beijing South Railway Station (北京南站)

Location: No.12, Yongwai Avenue, Fengtai District, South Beijing (北京市丰台区永外大街12号)

Distance: about 40km (1hr’s driving) to Beijing Capital International Airport & 13km (35mins’ driving) to Nanyuan Airport

Beijing South Railway Station is the largest train station and a principal pivot departing and receiving the most trains in Beijing, which is located at 7km southwest of Temple of Heaven for 20 mins’ ride. Initially built in 1897, it went through 2 years’ reconstruction and expansion, and turned up again as a highly-modernized high speed train station with 13 platform and 24 rail tracks. Based on the link of Beijing Tianjin Intercity Railway and Beijing Shanghai High Speed Railway, it provides a well-developed transport network through the whole country.

The Layout, Facilities and Service

As one of the largest train stations in Asia and three main rail transport hubs in Beijing, Beijing South Railway Station was remold in to a 5-storyed oval-shaped architecture.

1F: Airport bus and local public bus passengers can enter the station building from the South Entrance & North Entrance after landing. Once entering, you need to take the elevator to the upper floor. It’s also the departure level for all high speed trains.

2F: This floor has four ticket offices in each corner, three big waiting halls (35,000 sq m) with two lines of Ticket Check Gates on both sides. There are small shops selling offices, clothes, souvenirs between the gates, resulting overcrowded space for checking sometimes. Charity voluntary service for the old, children, disabled, pregnant and VIP passengers can be found near the Gate 14, such as guiding, wheelchair carrying and emergency help. And you can also find phone charge, left-luggage service, business lounge, freight transportation and Runqiu Information Desk here.

*To avoid missing your train, please pay attention to the LED display screen that shows the train number, train departure time, platform, check status and etc.

B1： All high speed trains will arrive at this floor. You may exit from here to transfer to downtown or airport, or go central area via subway lines from lower basements, without getting out of the train station. Passengers planning to take subway need to buy tickets on this floor. If you get to South Station by subway, it’s very convenient that you can buy ticket or collect at this level. Besides, there are lots of snack restaurants, and some stores, cafés, bookstore, Automatic Ticket Machines here.

B2: This basement level is the platform area for Beijing Metro Line 4, a north-south line which can take you to downtown, like Xuanwumen, Xidan, Beijing University and the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) and etc. Working hours of Metro Line 4 is 5:15am to 23:15pm every day.

B3: Here is the deepest storey and bottom of Beijing South Railway Station, and the station for Metro Line 14. The metro line is a southwest-northeast rail connecting with Chaoyang Park, Beijing 798 Art Zone…

Get to Beijing South Railway Station - Location and Transportation

Beijing South Railway Station is located in south region, between 2nd and 3rd ring road, and integrates 2 subway lines - Metro Line 4 & 14. Served as the foremost high speed railway station in Beijing, it also can be easily reached via taxi, bus and airport express. Read the following traffic details to catch your upcoming train tour. Taxi or private car will get to the West or East Parking Lot (B1) first and then follow the signs to ticket office or waiting hall.

Get to Beijing South Railway Station from Airports

Details about Airport Bus to Beijing South Railway Station

Airport Bus Route	Running Hours	Duration	Frequency	Ticket Office & Price	Where to Take
Beijing Capital Airport → Beijing South Railway Station	08:30am ~ 22:30pm	1~1.5 hrs	departing interval within 30 mins	￥30.0 (Gate 7 at Terminal 1, Gate 11at Terminal 2 , Gate 7 & 9 at Terminal 3)	Terminal 1 & 2 & 3
Beijing South Railway Station → Beijing Capital Airport	06:30am~20:00pm			￥30.0 (Bus Platform A)	Bus Hub Platform A, North Square

Popular High Speed Train Routes

In China, Beijing takes the lead in most advanced and up-to-date high speed trains, such as the latest Fuxing train at 350km/h. Starting from Beijing South Railway Station, you only need approximately 4 hours’ super-fast high speed train travel to Shanghai, Hangzhou and other tourist cities on Beijing Shanghai High Speed Railway and eastern coastal areas.

Departure Station	Destination	Train Types	Duration	Frequency (per day)	Check Details
Beijing South Railway Station	Shanghai	G/D Trains	4 hrs 18 mins ~ 12 hrs 7 mins	41	Beijing Shanghai High Speed Trains
Beijing South Railway Station	Hangzhou	G Trains	4 hrs 18 mins ~ 6 hrs 42 mins	15	-
Beijing South Railway Station	Tianjin	C/G Trains	31 mins ~ 54 mins	over 150	-
Beijing South Railway Station	Fuzhou	G Trains	7 hrs 48 mins ~ 10 hrs 47 mins	7	Beijing Fuzhou High Speed Trains
Beijing South Railway Station	Nanjing	G/D Trains	3 hrs 13 mins ~ 5 hrs 2 mins	61	-
Beijing South Railway Station	Qingdao	G Trains	4 hrs 38 mins ~ 5 hrs 15 mins	15	-

Beijing West Railway Station

The Layout, Facilities and Service

With a total area of 510,000 sq m, Beijing West Railway Station has 10 platforms and 20 rail tracks. In front of the station, there is a South Square and North Square with entrances, ticket pick-up machines, small shops and fast food restaurants. Let’s see how you can enter, check ticket and board train smoothly and efficiently.

1F: The entrance in North Square for normal trains and south entrances are used for high speed trains. Ticket office is in the east side of north square. Both sides of South Square have ticket offices for convenience. You can use left-luggage service at east or right hand of entrance hall. Remember to show your ticket and passport to the train staff to verify your identity and pass through the security check with your luggage. The first step after getting in is checking the right waiting hall.

*Passengers who will take Beijing-Kowloon (Hong Kong) trains need to go through exit formalities at the Immigration Inspection Hall on the west.

2F: Passengers can also get in from north entrance on the 2nd floor. The left area ahead is some snack shops and teahouse. Then comes a shopping street with two lines of ticket check gates on both sides. The soft sleeper waiting room is at left hand and business lounge is at right. If you would like to buy some souvenirs, fruit and books, go to the shopping zone.

3F: This floor is mainly providing entertainments for passengers, like KFC, Macdonald’s, Starbuck Coffee and a cinema.

B1: The arrival level has four exits to get out, including two exits in the south and two more in the north. Passengers for bullet trains shall go the South Exit No.1 & 2, and for normal train (K, T, Z trains), you need to leave from North Exit No.1 & 2. Also you can buy/refund tickets at the ticket office on this floor. North Exit No.2 is near the entrance of Metro Line 9. Here is also the boarding area for bus, taxi and dining site with some local favor fast food restaurants.

*If you want to take subway (Metro Line 7 & 9), or arrive at the station by subway, the entrance and exit are both in the basement one.

B2: It is the platforms for subway lines, from where you can take Metro Line 7 & 9.

Get to Beijing West Railway Station - Location and Transportation

Beijing West Railway Station is close to the middle section of west 3rd Ring Road. It is served by both Metro Line 7 and Line 9, plenty of bus routes and through airport bus to Beijing Capital International Airport. Please read the following ways to reach Beijing West Railway Station from different places.

Beijing Capital Airport to Beijing West Railway Station

By Airport Bus: No.7 Airport Bus shunts between the two places from 6:00 am to 1:00am. It leaves within every half an hour from South Square to Terminal 1, 2, 3 of airport.

By Taxi: at least 1 h’s driving for 40km

Note: If you will go to Beijing Railway Station from Nanyuan Airport, taking a taxi is the most recommended way, costing about 40mins for the 20kms’ course.

Downtown to Beijing West Railway Station

Tiananmen Square to Beijing West Railway Station: about 20mins’ride (18km)

Palace Museum to Beijing West Railway Station: about 25mins’ride (9km)

Beijing South Railway Station to West Station: about 25mins’ driving (11km)

Popular High Speed Train Routes

Departure Station	Destination	Train Types	Duration	Frequency (per day)	Check Details
Beijing West Railway Station	Xian	G Trains	4 hrs 20 mins ~ 6 hrs 2 mins	17	Beijing Xian High Speed Trains
Beijing West Railway Station	Chengdu	G Trains	7 hrs 48 mins ~ 10 hrs 4 mins	3	-
Beijing West Railway Station	Chongqing	G Trains	11 hrs 34 mins ~ 12 hrs 11 mins	2	-
Beijing West Railway Station	Lanzhou	G Trains	8 hrs 21 mins ~ 9 hrs 11 mins	2	-
Beijing West Railway Station	Guangzhou	G/D Trains	8 hrs 1 min ~ 10 hrs 05 mins	5	Beijing Guangzhou High Speed Trains
Beijing West Railway Station	Shenzhen	G Trains	8 hrs 45 mins ~ 10 hrs 36 mins	2	-
Beijing West Railway Station	Lhasa (Tibet)	Z Trains (Normal Trains)	40 hrs 20 mins	1	-

Beijing Railway Station (北京火车站/北京站）

Location： No.13, Maojiawan Hutong Jia, Dongcheng District, Southeast Beijing (北京市东城区毛家湾胡同甲13号)

Distance: about 1 hr’s driving (35km) to northeast Beijing Capital International Airport; about 45mins’ driving (22km) to southwest Nanyuan Airport; about 20mins’ driving (5km) to the Palace Museum & 15mins (4.5km) to Tiananmen Square

During the long time usage and renaming in history, Beijing Railway Station started its serving in Qing Daynasty, around 1901 AD. As one of the three main train stations of Beijing, Beijing Railway Station departs about 159 trains to Northern China, most of which are normal trains (Z, T, K trains) on Beijing Shanghai Railway, Beijing Harbin Railway and Beijing Chengde Railway. Meanwhile, it runs 48 daily bullet trains to cities in Northeastern China Harbin, such as Dalian, Shenyang, Qiqihar, Shenyang and Tangshan.

The Layout, Facilities and Service

Get to Beijing Railway Station - Location and Transportation

Beijing Railway Station is in the east 2nd Ring Road, connected by 3 subway lines. Therefore, you can exit or take subway at Beijing Railway Station on Metro Line 2, Chongwenmen Station on Metro Line 5 and Jianguomen Station on Metro Line 1.

In addition, there are shuttle buses running between Beijing Railway Station and Beijing West Railway Station, airport express with Beijing Capital Airport and Beijing Nanyuan Airport.

● Beijing Railway Station - Beijing Capital Airport: No.3 Airport Bus (5:00am to 21:00pm)

This express runs between Beijing Railway Station East Road and Terminal 1, 2, 3 of Capital Airport, within every 30 minutes.

● Beijing Railway Station - Tiananmen Square: about 15 mins’ driving for 4km

● Beijing Railway Station - Temple of Heaven: about 15 mins’ driving for 3.5km

Beijing East & Changping North Railway Station

Beijing East Railway Station (北京东站)

Location: No. 27, Baiziwan Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

Located next to the East 4th Ring Road, Beijing East Railway Station mainly serves for freight transportation and little passenger service. The station handles daily short-distance trains between Yanjiao Twon and Beijing, Chengde and Handan, Beijing and Tongzhou.

Changping North Railway Station (昌平北站)

Location: North Ring Road, Changping District, North Suburb of Beijing
(北京市昌平区北环路)

Beijing North Railway Station is closed for the construction of Beijing Zhangjiakou Inter-city Railway, an essential transport project for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing and Zhangjiakou. Thus, all the trains of Beijing North Railway Station were moved to Changping Railway Station temporarily. The Changping station is a small train station built in 1976, now departing 10 normal trains to suburb and surrounding area.

High Speed Train Tips

How to Choose a Best Railway Station

Among all the five train stations in Beijing, Beijing South Railway Station, Beijing West Railway Station and Beijing Railway Station are the major stations used for high speed trains. Because those stations are located on different rail lines, you should figure out your destinations and check train tickets carefully to make sure you board train at the right departure station. The Beijing West Railway Station mainly handles trains from Beijing to Xian, Chengdu, Taiyuan, Pingyao Ancient City, Guangzhou, Lanzhou, etc. If you want to visit Tianjin, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Harbin, Huangshan and other destinations, you should get to Beijing South Railway Station.

How to Book, Alter and Cancel a Ticket

There are many ways to book a train ticket, including booking online, booking with a travel agency, booking at the ticket offices in China’s Railway Stations, etc. For foreign travelers, you are suggested to book with travel agency so you won’t meet with the language barrier. A ticket can be altered at appointed counters in railway station to an earlier or later train. It is also available to cancel your ticket before the scheduled departure time. However, you might be charged with service fee. Check details>

How to Collect a Ticket

You need to good the Collecting Window of the railway station or the ticket agency to collect your ticket. If you want to collect your ticket in the departure day, we suggest you get to the rail way station 2-3 hours early. ItHow to Read a Ticket is best to collect your tickets as early as possible during the peak seasons (like in Spring Festival, Chinese National Day). Check details>

How to Read a Ticket

From the train tickets, travelers could see the departure time, departure and arrival train stations, train number, carriage number, seat class/number, passport number & passenger’s name, boarding gate, prices etc. Please pay specially attention to the departure How to Board & Disembark a Trainstation and make sure which one you should go. Check details>

How to Board & Disembark a Train

Before boarding a right train, you have several steps to follow: 1) Prepare your documents well (passport, visa); 2) Get to the right train station in advance; 3) Collect train tickets; 4) Read your train ticket carefully; 5) Show your passport and ticket to pass the identity check; 6) Go through security check & luggage check; 7) Find the right waiting room; 8) Cross the ticket checking gate; 9) Get to the right platform; 10) Get on your train. After you get off your train, your ticket will be checked again to leave the station. Check details>>

Baggage Allowance and Storage

For a train travel, each passenger is permitted to take baggage in certain weight and volume. Besides, some items are prohibited to be carried to the railway stations and the trains, like weapons, knives, live animals, etc. Once onboard, there are many places you an arrange your luggage. Check details>>