Railway Stations of Beijing

Metro map of Beijing

Railway Road Map of China

The 4 train stations in Beijing

Beijing Main Station

Beijing's main train station (北京站) has train departures for many cities connected to the rail network throughout China such as Harbin, Tianjin, Qingdao and Shanghai as well as a number of foreign destinations including Moscow, Pyongyang and Ulaan Bator.

The nearest subway station serving Beijing's main station is Beijingzhan on the Circle Line.

Beijing Station is extremely busy and somewhat daunting for the first time visitor. There is a ticket office for foreigners open from 5.30am-11pm daily near the soft seat waiting room.

Beijing Station was built in the 1950s.

Beijing West Station

Beijing West Station (北京西客站) is on Lianhuachi Donglu in Fengtai District. Beijing West Station opened in 1996 and is China's largest railway station and monolithic in size.

Trains for Vietnam, Tibet, Guangzhou and Hong Kong leave from Beijing West Station.

The nearest subway station serving Beijing's West Station is presently Junshibowuguan on the East-West Line (Blue Line) just opposite the Military Museum.

Eventually Beijing West Station will have its own subway station and will also link to Beijing Station by underground shuttle one day. The foreigners' ticketing office is on the 2nd floor.

Beijing North Station

Beijing North Railway Station (北京北站), formerly known as Xizhimen Railway Station  was built in 1905 as one of the original stations on the Jingzhang Railway, now part of the old Beijing-Baotou Line.

Beijing North is now a small (Tier-III) station managed by the Beijing Railway Bureau, providing regular intercity train services to the north and northwest, including the Huhhot-Manzhouli Grasslands Express (K274/K275/K277). It is also the southern terminus for the S2 Line of the Beijing Suburban Railway.

Beijing South Station

The Beijing South Railway Station (Beijing Nanzhan, 北京南站) is an architecturally stunning and impressive modern landmark designed by Terry Farrell & Partners.

The station was approved by the Beijing Government as a major Olympic development project, with the construction commencing in 2006. It took three years to complete, and was officially opened on 1 August 2008.

Looking like a cross between a giant stingray and scallop, the expansive station with a site area of 940,000m² can be reached by various modes of transportation including subway, railway, bus and taxi.

To get a sense of the enormity of the station, the main hall in the centre is big enough to accommodate a Boeing 747 aircraft, and the covered surface area of the roof is about the size of 20 football fields.

This is a significant upgrade to the old station which had been in use for 109 years since 1897 and was also previously known by the name of Yongdingmen Railway Station. The new station is now located at the borders of three districts (Fengtai, Chongwen and Xuanwu) between the second and third ring roads, and is also just 500m from the old station.

Beijing South Railway Station is a wonderful sight to see with its beautiful curves and amenities. It is relatively clean and non-chaotic, offering a surprisingly different feel from the otherwise haphazard layout and archaic feel of the other stations, and surpasses the other stations in grandeur and style.

It's no wonder people have also likened it to an airport, for you will also notice that there are also no noticeable hawkers outside and within the station, so it is very quiet and feels quite orderly.

The station is very airy, well-lit and energy efficient. Take for example the central roof; not only is it designed to endure heavy sand and snow storms, it is equipped with a 30,000m2 skylight that is coated with solar energy glass to create electricity for the station's usage. On top of that, is able to let in the natural air for and assist with air flow and ventilation.

It is at the Beijing South Station that you can catch the first express inter-city bullet train to Tianjin, which is run by China Railway High-speed (CRH) and travels at a top speed of 350km/hr, meaning you can reach the city in just half an hour. The station also has trains to Shanghai, Qingdao and Jinan, with the hopes of opening more lines in the future.

For those feeling a little hungry, there are various reasonably priced restaurants, cafes and fast food chain outlets within the waiting hall, with some of the places equipped with WiFi which is very handy. There is a pharmacy, book store and specialty food shops to buy snacks and Beijing souvenir food. As well, there are ATMs scattered throughout the station.

It is hoped that by the year 2030, the station will have an annual passenger turnover of over 104 million people. Not only that, it is anticipated that the station will serve 30,800 passengers per hour during peak times and over 285,000 travellers per day.

The station is simply amazing to visit and is truly is symbolic of China's giant leap into the developed world.