Beijing Railway Station

Beijing Railway Station is about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) from Tiananmen Square, 5.6 miles (9 kilometers) from South Station, 6.8 miles (11 kilometers) from North Station, 8 miles (13 kilometers) from West Station, and 16.8 miles (27 kilometers) from Capital International Airport.

Beijing Train Station is Beijing's oldest (1959) and most central station. It is Beijing's main regular train station for regular lines going all over the country and internationally, and it has a bullet train line towards the northeast.

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: 14 platforms (2 for bullet trains)

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, 51 USD (hard bed)

Harbin 哈尔滨, Z class, 10 to 11 hours, 44 USD (hard bed)

International Trains

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

Ulaanbaatar — K23 every Saturday

Ulaanbaatar and Moscow — K3 every Wednesday

Moscow — K19 every Saturday

Pyongyang — K27 departing Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays

Bullet Trains

Beijing Station serves the HSR (High-Speed Railway) to Northeast China: to Harbin, Shenyang, Dalian, Jilin, etc. The two main lines go to Harbin and Dalian:

Harbin 哈尔滨, D class, about 8 hours, 47 USD (second class)

Dalian 大连, D class, about 6 hours, 40 USD (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.

Using the Station

Features

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:

Covering an area of 25 hectares (50 football fields), Beijing Railway Station faces a 6,500-sq.-m. (1 football field in 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.

Schedule and Ticket Booking

Currently, in the main this station is the terminus for international trains to Moscow, Ulaanbaatar, Pyongyang, and Hanoi; high speed services to northeast China; as well as regular rail services to northeast, east, and south China.

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...

Transportation — to/from Beijing Station

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 in the northeast corner of the plaza with the greater number of taxis, and a smaller one is across the street.