Latest Train Schedule Information

Train Schedule

Unofficial guide

Search China train schedules — find departure times, arrival times, and stops for high-speed rail, express trains, and regular trains. Plan your perfect trip with the latest timetables.

Popular Route Schedules

🚄Beijing→Shanghai

Train	Departure	Arrival	Duration
G1	07:00	11:28	4h28m
G3	07:05	11:55	4h50m

🚄Shanghai→Hangzhou

Train	Departure	Arrival	Duration
G7501	06:15	07:00	45m

🚄Guangzhou→Shenzhen

Train	Departure	Arrival	Duration
G6001	06:00	06:29	29m

How to Search Train Schedules

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Enter Departure and Destination

Enter your departure and arrival cities in the search box

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Select Travel Date

Choose your planned departure date

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View Search Results

The system will display all matching train information

Train Types Explained

High-Speed Rail

Speed 300–350 km/h, fastest train type

Express Train (EMU)

Speed 200–250 km/h, comfortable and fast

Intercity Train

Short-distance high-speed trains connecting city clusters

Direct Express

Long-distance trains with fewer stops

Express Train

Traditional express trains

Fast Train

Regular fast trains with affordable fares

How to read a Chinese train number

Every train in China carries a letter-plus-number code. The letter is the train class and tells you almost everything about speed, number of stops and price level, so learning the letters is the fastest way to filter a timetable.

Letter	Class	Top speed	What it means
G	High-speed (Gaotie)	300–350 km/h	Fewest stops, highest fares, runs on dedicated high-speed lines
D	Electric multiple unit	200–250 km/h	Includes overnight sleeper EMUs; often shares tracks with G trains
C	Intercity	200–350 km/h	Short city-cluster hops such as Beijing–Tianjin, very frequent departures
Z	Direct express	160 km/h	Long-distance conventional trains, very few stops, usually overnight
T	Express	140 km/h	Calls at major prefecture cities, high proportion of sleepers
K	Fast train	120 km/h	Many stops, cheapest fares, common for long overnight journeys
Y / L	Tourist / temporary	Varies	Seasonal tourist trains and extra services added for peak travel periods

What the digits mean

The numbers are not random. Within each class, the range broadly reflects which railway bureau operates the service and which corridor it runs on. Odd numbers generally indicate the down direction (north to south, east to west) and even numbers the up direction. You do not need to memorise the ranges, but the odd/even rule is a quick way to sanity-check the direction of travel.

Timetable changes and the booking window

The timetable is redrawn several times a year

China Railway periodically revises the national operating diagram — known as a timetable adjustment. These usually land near the start of the year, in April, in July and towards year end. An adjustment can add routes, shift departure times, or withdraw services altogether, so a screenshot saved weeks ago may already be out of date. Re-check your train about a week before you travel.

Fifteen days ahead, but not at midnight

Online and phone bookings open 15 days in advance, so today you can buy for the fifteenth day from now. Tickets do not all go on sale at midnight: each station has its own release time, spread across the hours and half-hours between 08:00 and 18:00. For a busy route you need to know the release time of your departure station and be logged in with passengers already selected before it arrives.

When a train is sold out

Refreshing the page rarely helps. 12306 offers a waitlist feature: submit a waitlist order with payment held, and the system automatically issues you a ticket when someone refunds or changes their booking. You can waitlist several trains and dates at once, which makes it by far the most effective tool during holiday peaks.

Reading the search results

Beyond departure and arrival times, a few fields on the results page are worth attention:

Duration — total journey time. On the same corridor, a train with fewer stops can be one to two hours quicker.
Intermediate stops — open a train to see every stop with arrival and departure times, useful for finding a station closer to where you are actually going.
Origin versus through station — tickets are usually easier to get from a train's originating station, since only a limited allocation is released at intermediate stops.
Which station — large cities have several. Beijing alone has Beijing, Beijing South, Beijing West and Beijing Chaoyang. Confirm the exact station before planning local transport.
Seat availability — shown per class as a count, or as a waitlist option when sold out.

Connections

When there is no direct service, the connecting-journey search suggests itineraries and flags whether the transfer time is sufficient. Changing between different stations in the same city needs extra time; for a transfer in another city, allow at least an hour in case the first train runs late.

Timetable questions

How often does the timetable change?

China Railway adjusts the national operating diagram several times a year, typically near the start of the year, in April, in July and towards year end. Trains, times and even stopping patterns can change, so re-check about a week before travel.

Why can't I find my date?

The online booking window is 15 days. Anything beyond that has not been released yet — check again on the day sales open for your date.

What time do tickets go on sale?

There is no single time. Stations release tickets between 08:00 and 18:00, and the same train can have different release times at different stations, so check by your departure station.

Do high-speed trains run late?

Punctuality is very high, but severe weather, equipment faults or temporary line restrictions can still cause delays. Live running status is available in the official app before departure.

What if everything is sold out?

Use the waitlist feature first. You can also look at neighbouring dates, board or alight at a nearby station, or take a connecting itinerary.

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