What is the fastest way from Pudong Airport to Hongqiao Airport?
Take the Airport Link Line (市域机场线). It is a rail line that joins the two airports in about 40 minutes. The full fare is ¥26, and trains run about every 15 minutes. The last trains leave at 10:00 and 10:15 pm, so for a late arrival see the night bus section below.
Metro Line 2 also connects the two airports, but the airport group's Metro page and the government's Transportation at Shanghai airports page give no total time for that trip. A night bus runs after the trains stop. Taxi is the other option, but the government's Transportation at Shanghai airports page and the airport group's Taxis page give no total taxi fare between the two airports.
How does the Airport Link Line work between PVG and SHA?
The line has 7 stations. In order from the Hongqiao end they are:
- Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2 (虹桥2号航站楼站)
- Zhongchun Road (中春路)
- Jinghong Road (景洪路)
- South Sanlin (三林南)
- East Kangqiao (康桥东)
- Shanghai International Resort (上海国际旅游度假区)
- Pudong Airport Terminal 1&2 (浦东1号2号航站楼站)
The line is about 59 km long. The Shanghai Transport Commission's opening notice (in Chinese, December 2024) gives a design speed of 160 km/h, and the English government page says trains run at around 160 km/h. The notice also says Hongqiao Terminal 2 and Zhongchun Road are surface stations and the other five are underground.
The two end stations are called Terminal 2 at Hongqiao and Terminal 1&2 at Pudong. The government's Airport Link Line page and the airport group's pages don't say which exit or level to use at either station, so follow the metro signs inside each terminal.
Two kinds of train run in rotation, four-car and eight-car. Check the platform doors to be sure you board at the right position.
Transfers to other lines
- Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2: Metro Lines 2, 10 and 17, as an out-of-station transfer.
- Zhongchun Road: Metro Line 9. This is the only in-station transfer, so you stay inside the gates.
- Jinghong Road: Metro Line 15, out-of-station.
- Pudong Airport Terminal 1&2: Metro Line 2 and the Maglev, both out-of-station.
An out-of-station transfer means you leave the gates and buy a new ticket to go back in. The fare is not charged as one continuous trip.
If your flight leaves from Hongqiao Terminal 1, Metro Line 10 connects Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. At Pudong, a free shuttle bus runs between the two terminals 24 hours a day, every 10 to 15 minutes.
Airport Link Line first and last trains, and how often they run
The government's Airport Link Line page (updated March 31, 2026) gives this timetable for the two end stations. The airport group's Chinese page gives the same departure times (Pudong updated 15 June 2026, Hongqiao updated 2 April 2026).
| Direction | First train leaves | First train arrives | Last train leaves | Last train arrives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hongqiao T2 to Pudong T1&2 | 5:45 am | 6:24 am | 10:00 pm | 10:39 pm |
| Pudong T1&2 to Hongqiao T2 | 6:00 am | 6:40 am | 10:15 pm | 10:55 pm |
Trains run every 15 minutes, according to the government page. The airport group's Chinese pages say 15 minutes for Pudong and about 15 minutes for Hongqiao. The timetable times work out to 39 to 40 minutes from end to end.
One airport page does not match the rest. The airport group's English Airport Link Line page (updated 22 June 2026) gives 6:00 am for the first train and 10:00 pm for the last at both ends, and it lists two different intervals for Pudong. The government page and the airport group's Chinese pages agree with each other, so use the times in the table. For the live timetable, use the Metro Daduhui app or shmetro.com, which the airport pages point to.
Late flight?
The last train from Pudong leaves at 10:15 pm, and the last from Hongqiao at 10 pm. If you miss them, use the night bus or a taxi below. The government's Airport Link Line timetable shows no departures from either end later than these times; the last trains arrive at 10:39 pm at Pudong and 10:55 pm at Hongqiao.
How much is the Airport Link Line from Pudong to Hongqiao?
The full journey, Hongqiao Terminal 2 to Pudong Terminal 1&2, costs ¥26. Fares start at ¥4. The line has its own fare scale, separate from normal Shanghai Metro fares. The fare notice dated 14 November 2024 sets ¥0.45 per person-kilometre for lines designed for 160 km/h or more, with fares rounded to whole yuan.
The government page has a station-to-station fare table. Two examples from it: Pudong Terminal 1&2 to Shanghai International Resort is ¥7, and Hongqiao Terminal 2 to Shanghai International Resort is ¥20.
Discounts the pages state
- ¥1 off when you transfer between a bus and the Airport Link Line within 120 minutes, using the same card or code.
- 10 percent off the rest of your rides after you spend more than ¥70 on rail in one calendar month, on the same card or an eligible code.
- A 20-ride e-pass, valid 30 days, at 30 percent off. The Transport Commission's December 2024 notice puts each ride at 70 percent of the normal fare, never below ¥3, and says it can't be combined with other discounts. It called the e-pass a one-year trial and says nothing about what happens after, but the government page was still listing it in March 2026.
The government's Metro page says foreign users of the single integrated transport code get the same discounts as residents. For a one-off trip between the airports, none of this will matter much.
How to pay for the Airport Link Line as a foreigner
The government Metro page (updated June 29, 2026) and the 2024 Transport Commission notice list these ways:
- Metro Daduhui app (Metro大都会). A QR-code app that works with Alipay and WeChat. You scan at the gate to enter, exit and transfer. Mastercard or Diners Club holders can use the International Cards option in the app's WeChat Pay channel.
- Single-journey ticket. Buy at a ticket machine. The notice says cash or third-party payment apps are accepted. The ticket is valid only on the day of purchase and can't be used for out-of-station transfers. Service centres in all metro stations also have card terminals that take UnionPay and overseas Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, Diners Club and JCB cards for buying tickets.
- Shanghai Public Transportation Card. Tap in and out. A virtual version can be added to a phone or watch.
- Suishenxing app or Suishenma code. The government page says the code works on the metro, buses, the Airport Link Line, the Maglev and ferries, but not on the Jinshan Rail Line. Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Diners Club and JCB cards can be linked to the Suishenxing app. If you arrive by train, you can reach the Suishenma code through the 12306 platform.
The same page says Shanghai Metro gates accept tap-to-ride with eligible UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and JCB cards and e-CNY hardware wallets, if the card has password-free small payments enabled. It does not say this applies to the Airport Link Line, so treat it as unconfirmed for this line.
Day passes don't work here
The One-Day Pass (18 yuan), the Three-Day Pass (45 yuan) and the Maglev and Metro Pass exclude suburban railway lines opened in or after 2024. That includes the Airport Link Line. The Shanghai Pass three-day ticket for 240-hour transit travellers is a separate product, and the Metro page does not say it covers this line. For the transit policy itself, see our 240-hour transit areas guide.
Luggage on the Airport Link Line
The trains have lower racks for large luggage and upper racks for small items, plus wireless charging points. The government page sets these limits:
- Items under 23 kg.
- Each piece no more than 0.2 cubic metres.
- Each piece no more than 1.8 m for length, width and height added together.
If you are flying on with a power bank, see our power bank rules page.
Can I take Metro Line 2 from Pudong to Hongqiao instead?
Yes. The airport group says Metro Line 2 connects Pudong Airport and Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2, and it serves both Pudong terminals.
Neither the airport group's pages nor the government's airport and Metro pages give a total journey time or fare for Line 2 between the two airports. The only Line 2 numbers are for a different trip: Pudong Airport Terminal 1&2 to People's Square takes about one hour, for about ¥7. The general metro fare rule is ¥3 for up to 6 km, plus ¥1 for every 10 km after that. We won't guess a total from those.
The Airport Link Line is the one the officials describe as the 40-minute link, so we'd use it for the airport-to-airport leg. Line 2 makes more sense if you are heading into the city and not just changing airports. The government Metro page's One-Day and Three-Day Pass exclusions name only the Maglev and suburban lines opened in or after 2024, and Line 2 is not named.
Is there an airport bus between Pudong and Hongqiao?
Only at night, as far as the airport group's ground-transport page shows. It lists no daytime direct bus between the two airports.
- From Hongqiao: a fixed-schedule night line (虹桥守航夜宵定班线) leaves the Hongqiao Hub East Transport Center for Pudong at 22:30, 23:10, 23:40, 00:30 and 01:00. The Hongqiao-side listing writes the name as 虹桥东交通中心. The bus is one-way and direct, the fare is ¥36, and the phone number is 021-22351888. This section was updated 8 July 2026.
- From Pudong: the night supper line (守航夜宵线) runs from 23:00 to 5:30 the next day from Terminal 1, and from 23:03 to 5:33 from Terminal 2. It ends at the Hongqiao Hub East Transport Center (虹桥枢纽东交通中心). The fare is ¥18-34. At peak times it leaves when full, and the longest gap is 30 minutes. Phone 021-68346612. This section was updated 31 May 2026.
The airport group's ground-transport page doesn't say how to get between the transport center and the Hongqiao terminals.
Pudong to Hongqiao by taxi
The government page puts Pudong airport 40 km from Hongqiao airport. Neither that page nor the airport group's taxi page gives a taxi fare or time for the whole trip. The ¥180 and 50 minutes on the government page are for Pudong to People's Square, and ¥100-150 and about 30 minutes are for Hongqiao to the city centre, so neither is an airport-to-airport figure.
The airport group's taxi page (updated 16 April 2024) gives the fare rules, adjusted from 15 January 2022:
- Starting price ¥14 for 3 km (¥16 for TuAn and Roewe Ei5 electric cars), then ¥2.7 per km.
- For distances over 15 km, an extra 50 percent on the per-km fare.
- From 23:00 to 5:00, the starting price and per-km fare go up 30 percent.
- Holiday surcharge: ¥10 per trip during Spring Festival, ¥5 during May Day and National Day.
Taxi pick-up points are outside Arrivals Gate 12 at Pudong Terminal 1 and Gate 25 at Terminal 2. At Hongqiao they are outside Gate 1 at Terminal 1 and Gate 4 at Terminal 2, on the arrivals floor.
Do I have to clear security again and collect my bags when changing airports?
The Shanghai government and airport transport pages don't say. They don't give minimum connection times between the two airports either. Whether your bags are checked through to your final flight depends on your airline and ticket, so ask the airline before you book a connection that uses two airports.
Our Pudong Airport to the city and Hongqiao Airport to the city pages cover the other routes, and the Shanghai travel guide covers the rest of the trip.
