Which Beijing railway station does my train leave from?
Beijing has eight main railway stations. Your 12306 ticket names the one you need, so go by the ticket, not by the city on it. A Beijing Daily report of 28 December 2025 on the Beijing Major Railway Station Areas Administration site lists the eight. The city's English site of 24 September 2026 also says "all eight major railway stations". Two English articles from December 2024 still say "seven". They were written before Beijing Tongzhou opened.
The English site sometimes writes names in short pinyin: Beijing Zhan (Beijing Railway Station), Beijingxi, Beijingnan and Beijingbei. A 12306 ticket may show these short forms.
The same report describes four rail corridors. East and northeast trains use Beijing Railway Station, Chaoyang and Tongzhou. Northwest trains use North and Qinghe. Southwest trains use West and Fengtai. Southeast trains use South.
How to reach each Beijing railway station by subway
The lines below come from a city article dated 25 December 2024, except Tongzhou, which is from a February 2026 article. Subway lines get extended and train plans change, so treat this as a dated list, not a live map.
| Station | Subway lines | Rail corridor |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing Railway Station (εδΊ¬η«) | Line 2 | East and northeast |
| Beijing West (εδΊ¬θ₯Ώη«) | Lines 7 and 9 | Southwest |
| Beijing South (εδΊ¬εη«) | Lines 4 and 14 | Southeast |
| Beijing North (εδΊ¬εη«) | Lines 2, 4 and 13 | Northwest |
| Qinghe (ζΈ ζ²³η«) | Line 13 and Changping Line | Northwest |
| Beijing Chaoyang (εδΊ¬ζι³η«) | Line 3 | East and northeast |
| Beijing Fengtai (εδΊ¬δΈ°ε°η«) | Lines 10 and 16 | Southwest |
| Beijing Tongzhou (εδΊ¬ιε·η«) | Line 6, Beiyunhe Dong (E) station | East and northeast |
For fares and how to pay on the subway, see Beijing subway payment with foreign bank cards.
Which station for Shanghai, Xi'an, Chengdu, Harbin, Datong or Tianjin?
The city's 25 December 2024 article lists tourist destinations; its 11 December 2024 article lists railway routes and main destinations. The Tongzhou information comes from its 31 December 2025 opening report. Several stations can serve the same city, and the lists are not timetables.
- Shanghai: Beijing South, the starting point of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway, lists Shanghai among its main destinations. Beijing Railway Station also lists Shanghai.
- Tianjin: Beijing South, the starting point of the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway. Beijing Tongzhou serves Beichen District in Tianjin.
- Xi'an and Chengdu: Beijing West and Beijing Fengtai both list them. Beijing North and Qinghe added trains to Xi'an, Lanzhou and Chengdu under the railway plan that started on 5 January 2025.
- Harbin: Beijing Chaoyang lists Harbin, and the Beijing-Harbin high-speed trains depart from it. Beijing Railway Station also lists Harbin among its main directions.
- Datong: Beijing North lists Datong, Zhangjiakou, Hohhot and Baotou, and is the starting station of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway. Qinghe also sends trains to Datong from 5 January 2025.
That Beijing-Zhangjiakou line has nine passenger stations, including Badaling Great Wall Station in Yanqing District. For the sight, see Badaling Great Wall tickets for foreigners.
We can book train tickets for you if you'd rather not use 12306 yourself. The station still depends on the train you pick. Change and refund fees are on the 12306 refund and change fees page.
Beijing Tongzhou Railway Station: is it new, and which trains leave from it?
Yes. Beijing Tongzhou Railway Station sits in the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center Integrated Transport Hub and began operations on 30 December 2025. It opened with the Jingtang (Beijing-Tangshan) and Jingbin (Beijing-Binhai New Area) intercity railways. They run to Beichen District in Tianjin, Tangshan, Qinhuangdao, Xianghe, Dachang and Yanjiao, and services are adjusted according to passenger flow. The fastest scheduled journeys listed are Yanjiao 11 minutes, Baodi 26, Tangshan 55, Beichen 56 and Qinhuangdao 90. The city's 31 December 2025 Tongzhou opening report mentions no trains from Tongzhou to Shanghai, Xi'an or other long-distance cities.
To get there, take Line 6 to Beiyunhe Dong (E) station. A Beijing Daily report on the city portal (in Chinese, εθΏζ²³δΈη«) says it is about 10 minutes on foot at street level from there to the hub, or you can use the indoor transfer corridor. That report names Line 6 only.
Arriving by train, the taxi and ride-hailing area is indoors, about 100 meters from the west exit gate on the second underground level. The same report says two new airport bus routes link the station with Capital and Daxing airports, daily 8:00 to 19:30. For the airports, see Capital Airport to the city and Daxing Airport to Beijing.
What you need to enter a Chinese train station as a foreigner
China's rail system is real-name, and your passport is your ID.
- Buy the ticket with a valid passport. On the 12306 English site only valid foreign passports are accepted.
- Carry the same passport you used to buy the ticket. Passengers show it to check in and out of the station and to get on the train.
- Pass the security check. All passengers and their belongings are subject to it. Put your bags in the dangerous goods inspector and walk through the security gate.
- Follow the announcements and screens for your platform, waiting room, check-in gate and ticket-check time.
Not a ticket
The printed or downloaded itinerary sheet and the reimbursement receipt cannot be used as tickets.
12306 says there may be queues at the ticket window, security check, ID verification counter, ticket gate and baggage consignment counter. If you carry power banks, read the power bank rules for trains first.
How early should you arrive at a Beijing train station?
The 12306 FAQ gives no number of minutes. It says to reserve enough time to get your ticket and get ready to board. The ticket counter, station entrance, ticket gate and platforms are a few minutes' walk apart. Ticket sales and ticket checking stop before departure, and the exact time is in the station announcement.
One official number applies to one station. At Beijing Fengtai, the Express Entrance Hall started regular operation on 11 May 2026. Passengers on conventional-speed trains can board directly through it, without going up to the second-floor waiting area, if they arrive within 30 minutes before departure. It is west of the underground transfer level and links to Lines 10 and 16. From Line 16 Exit A1 it takes about 2 minutes. The city's 14 May 2026 Fengtai Express Entrance Hall article doesn't say whether other train types can use it. It is a shortcut at one station, not a general rule for arriving late.
How to get from Beijing South to Beijing West, or between other stations
The city's station-upgrade articles from August 2025 and July 2026 and its September 2026 AR navigation article give no route or travel time between railway stations. See the table above for subway lines. The station-upgrade and AR navigation articles describe taxi and ride-hailing pickup areas:
- Beijing West: an e-hailing pickup area on the west side of the south square roundabout (August 2025).
- Beijing South: the P3 parking lot opened on 1 July 2026, with a 600-square-meter waiting area for ride-hailing passengers.
- Beijing Fengtai: a ride-hailing waiting area at the P1 South Square parking lot (August 2025).
For a same-day connection between two stations, leave a wide gap. That is our advice, not an official rule, because the city's station-upgrade and AR navigation articles give no transfer time.
Beijing West also has an AR navigation pilot. In the "Arriving Beijing" (ε°η«εδΊ¬) WeChat mini-program you pick a destination and follow an on-screen arrow to exits, taxi stands, ride-hailing pickup areas and subway entrances. The city says it will extend it to all eight stations and both airports, with no date given.
Subway to train transfers
At Beijing Chaoyang, a pilot that started on 21 February 2026 lets rail passengers transferring to the subway skip an extra security check. The article is dated 25 February 2026, so this may have changed. At Beijing Railway Station, subway and rail transfers take place at ground level because Line 2 has limited underground space. A November 2024 article says an underground connection was under study. The city's later station-upgrade pages (August 2025, July 2026) don't say it has opened.
Other Beijing stops that are not among the eight
Beijing Daxing Railway Station and Daxing Airport Railway Station are stops on the Beijing-Xiong'an Intercity Railway, both in Daxing District, and passengers at Daxing Airport Railway Station can transfer between high-speed rail and flights. Yizhuang Railway Station on the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway opened on 1 October 2024 according to a December 2024 English article; the Chinese report says trial operation began on 29 September 2024. The city's 11 December 2024 high-speed rail station article and the 28 December 2025 Beijing Daily report list no subway lines for these three stations. For the Beijing city guide, see Beijing travel guide.
