Beijing Railway Station

Beijing Railway Station, established in 1959, stands as the oldest and most strategically positioned transportation hub within Beijing. It fulfills a pivotal role in connecting the city to various regions across the country, serving as the primary station for regular train services.

If your travel itinerary includes a journey to northeastern Chinese provinces like Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang, Beijing Railway Station is your gateway to these destinations. Furthermore, the station doesn't limit itself to conventional rail services. It extends its offerings to include intercity bullet trains heading to Tianjin and overnight high-speed train options bound for cities like Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou, making it a versatile transportation hub for both domestic and intercity travel.

• Chinese: 北京站 Běijīng Zhàn /bay-jing jan/
• Name on train tickets: 北京
• Address: 13 Hutongjia, Maojiawan, Dongcheng District 东城区毛家湾胡同甲13号
• Location: 28 km (17 mi) from Capital International Airport, 4 km from the Forbidden City (see our Beijing Railway Station Map)
• Station size: 8 platforms and 16 railway lines

Popular Train Routes

Regular Trains

The low-price sleeper cars are popular with sightseers going to tourist cities such as Shanghai and Harbin:

• Shanghai 上海, T class, 15 hours, USD 42 (hard sleeper), D class, 12 hours, USD 60 (hard sleeper)
• Harbin 哈尔滨, Z/T/K class, 11 to 22 hours, USD 37 (hard sleeper)

International Trains

These trains go to Mongolia, Russia, and North Korea:

• Ulaanbaatar - K23 every Monday (temporarily suspended)
• Ulaanbaatar and Moscow - K3 every Wednesday (temporarily suspended)
• Moscow - K19 every Saturday (temporarily suspended)
• Pyongyang - K27 departing Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays (temporarily suspended)

Bullet Trains

Beijing Station serves the HSR (High-Speed Railway) to Northeast China: to Harbin, Shenyang, Dalian, Jilin, etc. Overnight bullet trains to Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou also depart from this train station.

• Hangzhou 杭州, D class, about 14 hours, USD 72 (hard sleeper)
• Dalian 大连, G class, about 4 hours, USD 61 (second class)
• Tianjin 天津, D class, about 1 hour 15 minutes, USD 5 (second class)

Bullet trains from Beijing South Railway Station and Beijing West Railway Station can take you to most of China's popular tourist areas.

Train Schedules from Beijing Train Station

(Last updated on September 8th)

Using the Station

Features

Covering an area of 25 hectares (50 football fields), Beijing Railway Station faces a 6,500-sq.-m. (1 football field in the area) square to the north. Six VIP halls, one cushioned seat waiting hall, four ordinary waiting halls, and four key passenger waiting halls are available.

Facilities

• The second floor holds waiting halls, supermarkets, department stores, and Western and Chinese restaurants:

• The first floor has platforms and access for passenger arrivals and departures. There are self-service ticket machines, a ticket office, a public address system, and automatic ticket-checking machines:

• The underground area has Beijing Metro Line 2.

Luggage Portage

Ask the service desk staff in the middle of the second floor if you need help getting your luggage on board or for other help. The official porters wear a red cap (10 RMB for a small bag and 20 for a large bag).

For more general guidance on station use...

See How to Get On/Off a Train and 7 Things to Know Before Riding a Train.

Transportation - to/from Beijing Station

Click to see a larger map of Beijing Station's location in the city.

Because there are five train stations in Beijing, travelers sometimes go to the wrong station, so be clear about your station when making your way there.

By Taxi

Waiting areas: It is best to use the taxis at the taxi waiting areas for safety and security since guards are watching. There are two waiting areas. The bigger one is on the northeast corner of the plaza with the greater number of taxis, and a smaller one is across the street.

For specifics on fares etc., see Beijing Taxis.

By Subway

To Beijing South Station (北京南站):

• Take Line 2 to Xuanwumen Station (宣武门, 4 stops), then Line 4 to Beijing South (3 stops). About 30 minutes.

To Beijing West Station (北京西站):

• Take Line 2 to Xuanwumen Station (宣武门, 4 stops), then Line 4 to Caishikou Station (菜市口站, 1 stop1), then Line 7 to Beijing West (4 stops).

See our Beijing Subway Map.

To Beijing Capital International Airport (北京首都机场) can be reached by metro in less than an hour:

• Line 2 to Dongzhimen (东直门), then the Airport Express Line to Terminal 2 or 3

To Beijing Daxing International Airport (北京大兴机场) 

• Walk 800 meters from Beijing Station to Chongwenmen Subway station
• Line 5 to Songjiazhuang station (5 stops), Line 10 to Caoqiao station (5 stops), Line Daxing Airport to Daxing Airport station (2 stops), totally takes around 1 hour and 30 minutes.

To The Forbidden City is only 4 kilometers (2½ miles) away, and Tian'anmen Square is only about half that:

• Take Line 2 west to Qianmen (前门, 2 stops) and walk north across Tian'anmen Square to the Forbidden City (700m).
• Walk around the Forbidden City for the West Entrance (1 km) to go in.

To the Badaling Great Wall:

• Line 2 to Xuanwumen (宣武门, 4 stops), Line 4 to Xizhimen (西直门, 9 stops), and Yanqing S2 Suburban Railway Line to Badaling.

Booking Tickets

Train tickets

Booking By Yourself

When you buy a ticket, check the station name carefully. You could book tickets at the station and at other train stations or at many ticket windows in the city, or online... See How to Buy Tickets in China>>

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