CHINA HIGHLIGHTS®
Beijing West Railway Station, or Beijing West for short, was completed in early 1996. It is one of three major railway stations in Beijing. The station is near the West 3rd Ring Road, and you can get there easily by bus, metro, or taxi.
There are many trains departing from Beijing to central, south, southwest, and northwest China. There are G (China high-speed railway, CHR), D (bullet), K (fast), T (express), and Z (express overnight sleeper) trains.
See the popular train travel routes (departing from Beijing West Railway Station) below to get some travel ideas for planning trips in China:
Or you can check the trains from Beijing to other cities at China Highlights Train Ticket Service.
Beijing West Railway Station has two access squares: North Square (in front, popular access) and South Square (behind, less-used). They are connected by underground passages of up to 500 meters.
The second floor (F2): It has waiting rooms, stores, restaurants, a left-luggage office, a luggage porter service, a medical center, and a ticket office selling group tickets and tickets to Hong Kong. The entrances of South Square and North Square are both equipped with escalators.
The first floor (F1): It has an entrance and exits, a ticket office, a luggage consignment office, a luggage claim office, a joint Entry-Exit Inspection Hall, and platforms.
Basement 1 (B1): transfer hall, taxi stand, exits to squares
Basement 2 (B2): ticket office, exits to squares, subway, taxi stands, bus station exit, and luggage claim
The ticket windows sell tickets 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can go there in person to buy tickets with your valid passport. Or you can book tickets online, and then collect the tickets there.
North Square
Usually, people enter Beijing West from North Square because the transportation is more convenient from the city center, and it is closer to attractions and hotels in the city.
South Square is a newly built square and is not very crowded. It is further away from attractions and hotels in Beijing city center than North Square. If you are taking a high-speed train from other cities, such as Xi'an to Beijing, the exits at South Square are more convenient for you.
If you are being collected by a friend or your tour guide, you'd better tell him/her which exit to wait at in advance.
A waiting room at Beijing West Railway Station
The waiting rooms are all on F2. Numbers 1 to 7 are used for normal speed trains (K, T, and Z trains), while numbers 8 to 13 are designed for high-speed trains (G and D trains).
To Lhasa, Tibet: The T27 waiting room is specifically for passengers waiting for the T27 train, which runs to Tibet.
You may still be worried about losing your way when trying to find your waiting room. Fortunately, English signs are on display so you can easily find your way to your waiting room.
There is a large LED screen that displays train schedules and corresponding waiting rooms in order of departure times, making it convenient for you to find out which waiting room to go.
Alternatively, you can ask staff members or other passengers for help. Below is a Chinese phrase that you can show them:
Water and washroom: There is a washroom with hot water at the entrance to each waiting room.
Beijing West Railway Station is a large railway station. It is recommended that you arrive at the station 1–2 hours before your train's departure time.
Check-in time: The ticket check-in procedure usually begins half an hour before the departure time and stops 5 minutes before departure. Please be sure to be at the check-in gate at least 5 minutes before the departure time.
Medical center: Don't feel well? There is a Considerate Medical Center between waiting rooms 6 and 7. If you do not feel well while you are waiting, you can see some professional medical personnel and get commonly used drugs for medical care.
Left-luggage office: You can leave your baggage at the left-luggage office, situated on both sides of the escalators near the entrance, and you need to collect it within 24 hours.
Luggage checking office: The luggage checking office is at the east side of North Square (across from the bus terminal). You need to arrange to have your luggage checked using your paper ticket.
Luggage claim: You can claim your luggage at the west side of North Square.
Luggage porters: If your baggage is too heavy to carry by yourself, you can find a "red cap" (staff members wearing red caps or red jackets) luggage porter to help you take it on your train, for a reasonable fee (5–10 yuan per piece). The "Red Cap" Luggage Service Center is at the entrance to the waiting rooms.
Passengers can get taxis at the Taxi Dispatch Center in B2 and B1, east of the north exit.
There is another Taxi Dispatch Center under the east helical ramp of North Square. Due to the heavy traffic on Beijing West Railway Station's North Square, there are no official taxi lanes on the street in front of the square. Taxis are not supposed to stop there, but taxis do go there to pick up passengers anyway.
Taxi Fares
A taxi fare in Beijing starts at 10 yuan for up to 3 kilometers during the daytime (05:00–22:59), and 11 yuan at night (23:00–04:59). For 3–15 kilometers, it is 2 yuan per kilometer. For a journey of over 15 kilometers, it is 3 yuan per kilometer with an additional 50% if it is a one-way trip.
To Beijing Railway Station (北京站 Beijing): 30 minutes
Bus 673 or Special 2 (特2路) can also take passengers to Beijing Railway Station.
To Beijing South Railway Station (北京南站 Beijing Nan): 20 minutes
Bus Special 14 (特14路) can also take passengers to Beijing South Railway Station.
To Beijing North Railway Station (北京北站 Beijing Bei): 40 minutes
Beijing North Railway Station was formerly known as Xizhimen Railway Station (Chinese: 西直门站).
Take the Beijing West Railway Station Line (No.7) in South Square (in front of China Railway Express, 中铁快运). The buses run every 30 minutes from 5:10am to 9pm. The journey takes about 2 hours and costs 16 yuan.
The Forbidden City
To Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City: 40 minutes
Bus 52 (12 stops, 3 yuan) can also take passengers to Tian'anmen Dong (天安门东站).
To Temple of Heaven Park: 30 minutes
Wangfujing Street
To Wangfujing Street: 40 minutes
See our Beijing Subway Map for more information.
Show the following sentences to members of staff at the station, if you need help:
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 请送我到北京西站. | Please drive me to Beijing West Railway Station. |
| 请问网络订票的取票窗口在哪里? | Where is the collection counter for tickets booked online, please? |
| 请问在哪个窗口办理退票? | Where can I cancel my tickets, please? |
| 请问在哪个窗口办理改签? | Where can I alter my ticket(s), please? |
| 请问洗手间在哪里? | Where is the bathroom, please? |
| 请问这附近有餐厅吗? | Where is the nearest restaurant, please? |
| 请问我应该在候车室候车? | Would you please tell me where my waiting room is? |
