How long is the Beijing to Shanghai train, and which one is fastest?
The fastest train is G25: Beijing South 17:00, Shanghai Hongqiao 21:18, 4h18m. That comes from a search on the 12306 English site made on 6 October 2026 for travel on 14 October 2026. It returned 54 rows: 46 G (high-speed), five overnight D trains, Z281, T109 and the ordinary train 1461. G5 appears twice, boarding at Beijing Railway Station and at Beijing South, so the 54 rows are 53 trains.
Only 20 of the 46 G rows take under 4h55m. The others take 5h34m to 7h47m, so read the travel time before you pay.
| Train | Leaves Beijing South | Arrives | Time | Second class | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G25 | 17:00 | Hongqiao 21:18 | 4h18m | ¥661 | Fastest |
| G35 | 19:24 | Hongqiao 23:51 | 4h27m | ¥598 | Latest G |
| G13 | 16:00 | Hongqiao 20:28 | 4h28m | ¥661 | |
| G5 | 07:59 | Shanghai Railway Station 12:32 | 4h33m | ¥667 | |
| G547 | 06:18 | Hongqiao 12:11 | 5h53m | ¥553 | Earliest G |
G19 (14:00) and G27 (17:04) also take 4h32m. Fares are for 14 October only, and every G-train fare that day carried an "x% off" label.
Beijing South or Beijing Railway Station? Which Shanghai station?
12306 prints station names as one word, so match them before you pay. Departures: Beijingnan (北京南) is Beijing South; "Beijing" (北京) is Beijing Railway Station; Beijingfengtai (北京丰台) is Beijing Fengtai. Arrivals: Shanghaihongqiao (上海虹桥) is Hongqiao; "Shanghai" (上海) is Shanghai Railway Station; Shanghaisongjiang (上海松江) is Songjiang; Shanghainan (上海南) is Shanghai South.
In the 14 October 2026 result, 47 rows leave Beijing South, 6 leave Beijing Railway Station and 1 (Z281) leaves Fengtai. 39 G trains run Beijing South to Hongqiao; six run Beijing South to Shanghai Railway Station (4h33m to 6h12m). The only G train from Beijing Railway Station is G5 at 07:40, arriving Shanghai Railway Station 12:32 (4h52m). The same G5 also boards at Beijing South at 07:59.
The Beijing government's English page (2024-12-25) puts Beijing South on Subway Lines 4 and 14 and Beijing Railway Station on Line 2. To choose a station, see our Beijing railway stations guide.
How much is a Beijing to Shanghai train ticket?
Beijing South to Hongqiao on 14 October 2026 (39 G trains), every fare marked "x% off": second-class seat ¥553 to ¥661 (16% to 30% off), first-class seat ¥929 to ¥1,058, business-class seat ¥1,744 to ¥2,315. Eight of these rows also list a premium first-class seat at ¥1,382 to ¥1,455, also marked.
Beijing South to Shanghai Railway Station: second class ¥604 to ¥667. G5 from Beijing Railway Station: ¥672. These are marked "x% off" too. Of the 54 rows, 51 carry an "x% off" label (14% to 37%). A labelled fare is a discounted fare, so the full fare is higher, and labels vary by train and date.
Is there an overnight train from Beijing to Shanghai?
Yes. In the 14 October 2026 result, eight rows arrive the next day. None of the five D trains arrives at Hongqiao.
| Train | From | Departs | To | Arrives next day | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D17 | Beijing Railway Station | 19:10 | Shanghai Songjiang | 07:31 | 12h21m |
| D7 | Beijing Railway Station | 19:18 | Shanghai Railway Station | 07:25 | 12h7m |
| D9 | Beijing South | 19:36 | Shanghai South | 08:00 | 12h24m |
| D5 | Beijing Railway Station | 21:21 | Shanghai Railway Station | 09:27 | 12h6m |
| D11 | Beijing South | 21:22 | Shanghai Songjiang | 09:45 | 12h23m |
| Z281 | Beijing Fengtai | 19:10 | Shanghai Songjiang | 08:44 | 13h34m |
| T109 | Beijing Railway Station | 20:04 | Shanghai Railway Station | 11:02 | 14h58m |
| 1461 | Beijing Railway Station | 11:59 | Shanghai Railway Station | 06:45 | 18h46m |
D train fares (range across the five): second-class seat ¥296 to ¥367, second-class sleeper upper berth ¥440 to ¥476 and first-class sleeper upper ¥563 to ¥644, all with no label. Lower berths are marked "x% off": second-class sleeper ¥519 to ¥593 (29% to 35% off) and first-class sleeper ¥637 to ¥728 (25% to 35% off).
Z281 and T109: soft sleeper upper ¥476.5, hard sleeper upper ¥304.5, hard seat ¥177.5. 1461: soft sleeper upper ¥455.5, hard sleeper upper ¥283.5, hard seat ¥156.5. The page says its sleeper prices are for the upper berth and actual prices vary among berths.
How to buy a Beijing to Shanghai train ticket on 12306 with a foreign passport
The 12306 FAQ says the English site accepts only valid foreign passports.
- Register. The sign-up page accepts only foreign passports. It asks for your passport details and an email address, with no phone-number field; notifications go to your email.
- Verify your identity. A Ministry of Commerce guide (2024-04-24) says you must do this before buying. Enter your name, nationality and ID number on the English site or app and the system checks automatically; or upload a photo of the passport information page for manual verification; or take your passport to a station ticket office. 12306's Chinese notice says you need the status 已通过 (passed) to buy; 待核验 (to be verified) and 未通过 (failed) users cannot. Neither the Ministry of Commerce guide nor 12306's verification notice says how long manual verification takes.
- Search, then check both stations on the line you pick.
- Pay. The guide says the English site and app take Chinese or foreign bank cards and mobile payment apps; a ticket office also takes RMB cash. For specifics, follow the signage or cashier.
Per the ID lists in the railway rules and the Beijing government's article of 2025-12-26, an ordinary foreign passport works on 12306 (site, app, hotline) and at ticket counters, but is not on the list for automatic ticket machines. Changes and refunds are also on the English site; fees are in our 12306 refund and change fees guide.
Use only the official site
The 12306 FAQ calls the 12306 website the official website of China Railway Customer Service Center and says the railway department will not handle ticketing problems that occurred on other websites. If you would rather not book it yourself, we can book train tickets, hotels and car transfers for you.
How many days ahead can I book?
12306's help page says internet presale is currently 15 days including the day you buy, released at staggered times by region. Railway bureaus may adjust it temporarily, so watch station notices. On 6 October 2026 the English site's own range ran from 6 to 20 October 2026, which is 15 days counting both ends.
In the Railway 12306 app, the exact release time shows at the bottom after you pick a departure date, and "Set Reminder" (设置提醒) adds an alert to your calendar (Beijing government, 2025-12-26). That article gives no release hour. The 12306 FAQ says the English site sells tickets from 5:00 to 1:00 the next day (5:00 to 23:30 on Tuesday).
How do I get into the station and board with a passport?
Take the same passport you used to buy. The railway rules (in force from 1 June 2026) make that document your boarding credential (article 24), and article 40 treats a mismatch of ticket, document and person as having no ticket. The Ministry of Commerce guide says foreigners can pass automatic or manual ticket gates with the original passport and must cooperate with verification on the way. The Ministry of Commerce guide doesn't say whether a passport can be scanned at an automatic gate, so follow station staff and signs.
Do you need to print anything? You can print or download the ‘itinerary sheet’ on the website, or have it printed at designated station counters or machines, but the FAQ says neither it nor a reimbursement receipt can be used as a ticket.
All passengers and bags go through security. The FAQ warns of queues at the ticket window, security check, ID verification counter, ticket gate and baggage counter, and says ticket checks stop before departure (the station announcement gives the time). The 12306 FAQ gives no number of minutes, so leave plenty.
How do I get from Shanghai Hongqiao or Shanghai Railway Station into the city?
The Shanghai government's station guide lists only each station's location and metro lines: Hongqiao (Shengui Road, Minhang district) Lines 2, 10 and 17; Shanghai Railway Station (Moling Road, Jing'an district) Lines 1, 3 and 4; Shanghai South (Humin Road, Xuhui district) Lines 1, 3 and 15; Songjiang (Songxian Road, Songjiang district) Line 9. That page gives no fares, journey times or transfers, and says to double-check the station name before you go. More in our Shanghai travel guide and Beijing travel guide.
