The Shanghai Railway Station, initially constructed in 1896 and refurbished in 2010, stands as one of China's most historically significant train stations. Spanning across an impressive area of 97,000 square meters, this station accommodates seven platforms and facilitates the passage of 15 railway lines. Remarkably, the station serves as a gateway for approximately 30 million passengers annually, showcasing its crucial role in connecting people and destinations. Shanghai Railway Station has many regular lines that go westwards, north of the Yangtze River, and Hong Kong as well as many useful bullet train lines to areas spread from Xi'an to Beijing. It is also a metro hub station for lines 1, 3 and 4.
- Chinese: 上海站 Shànghǎi Zhàn /shung-hi jan/
- Name on train tickets: 上海
- Address: 303, Moling Road, Jing'an District of Shanghai 上海市静安区秣陵路303号, about 4 km (2 miles) west of the Bund
- Station size: 7 platforms
Popular Trains to Other Cities
Bullet Trains
This train station handles both regular train lines and about 50 bullet train lines for dozens of places all around China. See the popular bullet train travel routes from Shanghai Railway Station for some ideas for planning trips in China (Last updated on August 24, 2023):
- Shanghai Station – Nanjing Station 南京站 About 53 G-class trains go to Nanjing daily in approximately two hours (USD 22 second class seat, USD 35 first class), and Suzhou in about 40 minutes. The trains run from 05:46 to 21:50.
- Shanghai Station – Beijing South Station 北京南站 about 4 G-class trains can take you from Shanghai Station to Beijing South in less than 5 hours (USD 92 second class seat, USD 147 first class). The trains run from 07:00 to 17:55.
Regular Trains
These are for leisurely travel, sightseeing out the windows, sleeping in bunks, and going places bullet trains don't go and are a lot less expensive.
- Shanghai Station – Beijing Station 北京站, T class, 16 hours, USD 66 (soft sleeper)
- Shanghai Station – Nanjing Station 南京站, T, K, and Z classes, 3 or 4 hours, USD 7 (hard seat)
Using the Station
It has a circular design with two floors and a north square and a south square where there are bus stations and taxi stands.
- Level 1 has the arrival hall, waiting rooms, exits, and ticket windows.
- Level 2 is the top floor with a waiting area and washrooms.
Buying Tickets
Shanghai station has 2 ticket offices on the north and south squares. There are more than 80 ticket windows in the station and 20 outside the main building on the southeast side. Windows 1 to 4 provide ticket refunds and rescheduling. Numbers 7 to 16 are normal windows. Number 20 is for group tickets. More than 40 ticket windows are located in the main building. Some windows offer a 24-hour service every day, but only a few are available after 23:00 hrs. Auto-ticket vendors are installed in the north square, but they are not available to those without Chinese ID cards. Foreign passengers are recommended to buy tickets in advance online or WITH US, to avoid possible queues when collecting tickets at the windows.
Waiting Rooms
The main waiting hall is located on the second floor, and there are 5 waiting rooms distributed on each side of the central corridor. The waiting rooms for groups or soft-sleeper passengers are on the first floor. Washrooms and hot water are provided in each waiting room. Please refer to the LED screens showing details of train departures, and you won't miss your train.
Red Cap Luggage Porters
Porters assist passengers with luggage, charging CNY 10 per piece.
Left Luggage
The left luggage offices are on the first floor of the station building. There is a charge of CNY 10 per piece, per day.
Arrive early: Since the station is quite large and it might take longer than expected to get there, it is wise to be at the station at least 2 hours ahead of your departure time, especially if you plan on getting a ticket there.
See How to Get On/Off a Train and 7 Things to Know Before Riding a Train for more.
Transportation - to/from Shanghai Station
Take Buses
Subway to Shanghai's Other Railway Stations
Street map of all Shanghai's three railway stations' locations. Click to enlarge it.
The Shanghai metro is quite a tangled web of lines, but by heeding transfer points and stops, you can use them to travel around more quickly around.
- Lines 3 and 4 meet under the north square and their entrances are located there.
- Line 1's entrance is under the south square.
- Take Line 3 to Zhongshan Park Road (5 stops), then Line 2 to Honggiao Railway Station (上海虹桥火车站, 6 stops). 45 minutes are needed
- Take Line 1 directly to Shanghai South Station (上海火车南站, 12 stops, 37 minutes).
Shanghai Railway Station to Pudong Airport
Click to enlarge the Shanghai metro map.Take Line 1 south to People's Square (人民广场, 3 stops)
- Then take Metro Line 2 to Longyang Road Station (龙阳路站, 7 stops), and then transfer over to the Shanghai Maglev direct to the airport (30 kilometers, 8 minutes, about 50 RMB).
- Or Line 2 to Pudong Airport (18 stops). Leave plenty of time so as not to miss your flight.
Shanghai Railway Station to Hongqiao Airport
Honggiao Airport has two terminals that are wide apart and time consuming to go between, so it is important to go to the correct one to avoid delays. Line 10 connects the train station to both Terminal 1 and 2.
- To Terminal 1: Take Metro Line 1 to Shaanxi South Road Station (5 stops), then Line 10 to Honggiao Airport Terminal 1 (9 stops). 45 minutes are needed.
- To Terminal 2: Take Metro Line 1 to People's Square Station (3 stops), then Line 2 to Honggiao Airport Terminal 2 (9 stops). 48 minutes are needed.
To the Pudong Central Business District
The Oriental Pearl TV TowerThe Oriental Pearl TV Tower is just one of the towers popular with tourists in the Pudong area that also has very tall skyscrapers, museums, and other things to see.
- Take Line 1 south to People's Square (人民广场, 3 stops), and then take Subway Line 2 east to Lujiazui Station (2 stops). Then walk to the place you want to go to.
Booking Tickets
The Lianhe Ticket Building is 200 meters southeast of Shanghai Railway Station south entrance. The signage can be confusing. The ticket hall of the Shanghai Railway Station has a total of more than 80 ticket windows.
Booking By Yourself
Be sure your ticket is for the station you want to leave from. Check the name carefully. You could book tickets in the station and at other train stations or at many ticket windows in the city and online with our China train booking service. See How to Buy Tickets in China.
Booking With Us
We can assist you with booking tickets.
- over 10,000 satisfied customers each year
- 24/7 service
- 3 easy steps: search trains, book tickets, pay
You can use the bullet trains to quickly see highlights of China's top tourist areas around Shanghai. Our private city transport and guide will let you discover more in a relaxed comfortable way, and help you get on the right train for your travels. See our recommended Shanghai and Neighboring Cities by Bullet Train tour.