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Hong Kong Trains - High-Speed and Non-Bullet Trains

Hong Kong Trains - High-Speed and Non-Bullet Trains

Written by FabioUpdated Aug. 14, 2023

With the opening of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link on September 23rd, 2018, high-speed trains from the newly-built Hong Kong West Kowloon Station to 44 mainland cities were put into service. High-speed trains from Hong Kong have not only made it much more convenient and faster to travel between Hong Kong and Chinese mainland, but have also had a positive effect on the economy, strengthening economic co-operation and trade exchanges between Hong Kong and Chinese mainland.

High-Speed Trains to/from Hong Kong

Hong Kong connects to 66 destinations in the 25,000-kilometer national high-speed railway, including 8 short-distance cities and 38 long-distance cities. All high-speed trains to/from Hong Kong operate at the West Kowloon Railway Station, which is a different station from Hung Hom Railway Station (temporary closed) that serves ordinary trains.

Vibrant ExpressHong Kong to Guangzhou high-speed trains are called "Vibrant Express"

From Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, there are 13 pairs of trains running on long-distance routes every day, 70 pairs of trains serving short-distance routes on weekdays, and 82 pairs on weekends.

  • Terminus: Hong Kong West Kowloon Station
  • Destinations for short-distance routes: Futian, Shenzhen North, Guangzhou South, Guangmingcheng, Humen, Qingsheng
  • Destinations for long-distance routes: Beijing West, Shanghai Hongqiao, Hangzhou East, Guilin West, Changsha South, Kunming South, Guiyang North, Fuzhou, Xiamen North, Wuhan, Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou East, Nanchang West, Hengyang East, Zhuzhou West, Chenzhou West, Shantou, Jinhua, Shangrao, Shaoguan, Putian, Quanzhou, Chaoshan, Huizhou South, Shanwei, Raoping, Zhangzhou, Jiaomei, Pingshan, Lufeng, Houmen, Chaoyang, Huidong, Chaoyang, Puning, Zhangpu, Yunxiao, Zhao'an.

Short-Distance High-Speed Trains to/from Hong Kong

Route Duration Number of Daily Trains Ticket Prices
Hong Kong – Shenzhen 14 to 28 min 82 pairs on weekdays; 92 pairs on weekends US$12–19
Hong Kong – Guangzhou 47 min to 1 h 17 min 33 pairs per day US$33–53
Hong Kong – Futian 14 to 17 min 35 pairs per day US$12–19
Hong Kong – Humen 38 to 56 min 18 pairs per day US$27–41

Long-Distance High-Speed Trains to/from Hong Kong

Route Train Number Duration Number of daily trains Ticket Prices
Hong Kong – Beijing G79/G80 8 h 30 min 1 pair US$179–558
Hong Kong – Shanghai G99/G100 8 h 17 min 1 pair US$149–433
Hong Kong – Guilin G319/G320; G407/G408 4 h 2 pairs US$55–165
Hong Kong – Xiamen G3001/G3002; G3003/G3004; G3005/G3006; G3007/G3008 3½ to 4 h 4 pairs US$47–74
Hong Kong – Kunming G408/G407 8 h 45 min 1 pair US$109–331
Hong Kong – Guiyang G320/G319, G408/G407 6 h 30 min 2 pairs US$77–232
Hong Kong – Hangzhou G99/G100 7 h 10 min 1 pair US$125–399
Hong Kong – Changsha G79/G80; G306/G305; G6113/G6114 3½ h to 4 h 3 pairs US$81–249

Tips: Hung Hom Station Port was closed starting on January 30, 2020, and the cross-border service of ordinary trains from Hung Hom Station to mainland China was suspended.

hung hom railway station and west kowloon station

Differences Between Hong Kong High-Speed Trains and Ordinary Trains

1. Different Terminal Stations

High-speed trains to/from Hong Kong operate at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, which is newly built for operating high-speed trains between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong. Ordinary trains operate at Hung Hom Railway Station.

2. Different Seat Classes

High-speed trains have business/first/second classes of seats; Superior soft/soft/hard sleepers are available on long-distance overnight trains.

3. Different Ways of Getting Tickets

  • High-speed trains: Tickets can be bought online and offline. Tickets can be collected at the train station or delivered to you.
  • Ordinary trains: Tickets can only be bought offline and will be delivered to you.

4. Customs Procedures

  • High-speed trains: West Kowloon Station has joint checkpoints. Passengers can go through the entry and exit customs procedures in this station without any stops at the Hong Kong border. Please note that you have to complete the arrival/departure forms before you go to the customs officer.
  • Ordinary trains: Passengers need to go through the entry and exit customs procedures at different stations.

How to Book Train Tickets

high-speed train ticket to hong kongHong Kong high-speed train ticket

High-speed train tickets can be booked in five ways:

  • Book online with a travel agency like China Highlights - recommended
  • Book online via China Railway's official website
  • 12306 Online Ticketing Platform (including website and mobile app)
  • Ticketing Counters and Ticket Machines in stations

After receiving your booking, we will send you a confirmation with E-ticket information, you can use a passport to check in at the manual ticket check-in gate (人工通道), do not need to collect the paper ticket.

Find out more about Hong Kong high-speed train ticket booking and policies.

Search for Hong Kong bullet train schedules and book a ticket now!

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