Hong Kong – Hangzhou by High Speed Train
High speed trains linking Hong Kong and Hangzhou in 6 hours will be launched on September 23 of 2018 when the Hong Kong West Kowloon Terminus opens, connecting Hong Kong with China mainland’s high speed rail network. But currently since there are no direct high speed trains linking Hong Kong with Hangzhou, travelers have to make a transfer at Shenzhen or Guangzhou.
There are 11 pairs of D category high speed trains running between Shenzhen North Station and Hangzhou East Station, as well as 8 pair of D & G high speed trains linking Guangzhou South Station and Hangzhou East Station. You have the following methods to travel from Hong Kong to Hangzhou by bullet train:
- Option 1. Hong Kong – Shenzhen North – Hangzhou East (recommended)
- Option 2. Hong Kong – Shenzhen North – Guangzhou South – Hangzhou East
Option 1: Hong Kong – Hangzhou via Shenzhen
Shenzhen North Railway Station serves as an important rail transfer point on the Hong Kong – Hangzhou route. Shenzhen North is linked with Hangzhou East Train Station by 11 daily D type high speed trains, also connected to line 4 of Shenzhen metro, which further connects Hong Kong’s MTR – East Rail Line service at Lok Ma Chau station. You need to pass the border control. Just follow the steps below:
1. Hong Kong – Shenzhen North by Metro & MTR
The high speed rail will not be availabe between Hong Kong and Shenzhen until the West Kowloon Station opens in 3rd quarter of 2018. Now, you can use MTR service and Shenzhen Metro to travel between Hong Kong & Shenzhen North Station.
From Hong Kong to Shenzhen North Station: You can take Hong Kong’s MTR service – East Rail Line to the terminal Lok Ma Chau station first, then pass through the border control and walk across into Shenzhen side border, get to Futian Checkpoint station for line 4 of Shenzhen metro to Shenzhen North Station metro stop. When arrive at Shenzhen North Station stop, just go upstairs to look for the high speed train service to Hangzhou.
Useful resources
- Shenzhen metro planner (official Shenzhen metro site)
- Hong Kong MTR planner (official site)
- China train ticket booking service
From Shenzhen North Station to Hong Kong: You can take line 4 of Shenzhen metro to Futian Checkpoint Station first, then walk across border into Hong Kong & pass through the border control. Then take Hong Kong MTR service East Rail Line at Lok Ma Chau station to reach downtown of Hong Kong.
2. Shenzhen – Hangzhou by High Speed Train
Currently, there are 11 daily high speed trains running between Shenzhen North Railway Station and Hangzhou East Train Station using D type bullet trains. Of the 11 bullet trains, 4 are high speed sleeper trains, which leave at night and arrive in the next morning and helps save you the cost on an accommodation, and the other 7 are daytime high speed trains.
From Shenzhen to Hangzhou: 4 high speed sleeper trains (D906, D932, D936, D942) depart at around 20:00 at night & arrive at Hangzhou East in the next morning, taking about 9h44 and costing CNY630 in a soft sleeper, CNY432 in a 2nd class seat.
The other 7 are D type daytime high spees trains that will take 10.5 – 11 hours for the journey time & cost CNY512 in a 2nd class seat.
From Hangzhou to Shenzhen: As explained above, you can eight take a high speed sleeper train or daytime high speed train to travel from Hangzhou East Station to Shenzhen North Station.
Schedule, Fares & Duration
| Shenzhen – Hangzhou by D type high speed train (11 daily) | |||||||
| Train Type | From – To | Frequency | 1st-Last | Duration | Ticket Fares (CNY) | ||
| 1st Cls | 2nd Cls | Sleeper | |||||
| High speed sleeper | Shenzhen North – Hangzhou East | 4 | – | 9h40 | 432 | 630 | |
| D trains | Shenzhen North – Hangzhou East | 7 | – | 10-11h | 512 | ||
|
For a live schedule & ticket availability, please refer to http://www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains/
|
|||||||
Option 2: Hong Kong – Hangzhou via Shenzhen & Guangzhou
You can also travel between Hong Kong and Hangzhou via Shenzhen & Guangzhou (Hong Kong – Shenzhen North – Guangzhou South – Hangzhou East). This route is faster but the fare is a bit more high and requires you to make two transfers. It is not so convenient, so I would not recommend you to travel on this route.
If you want to travel faster, just do a research on this route. Guangzhou South has G type high speed trains to or from Hangzhou East, which run faster than Shenzhen North’s D trains to or from Hangzhou East.
Trusted Online Ticket Agents:
Option 1: China Highlights is a reliable online agency for China train ticketing. They get positive reviews on TripAdvisor & Trustpilot. Sharon and her team help you buy tickets & plan rail routes even deliver tickets to your hotels with a service fee.
Option 2: Trip.com is an internatioal brand owned by Ctrip Group, China's largest online travel booking platform. Trip.com offers booking service for flight, train, hotel, activities, etc
