How to Travel Hong Kong – Shanghai by Train
Shanghai – Hong Kong high speed trains will be operational in third quarter (probably in September) of 2018. Currently, you can take travel between Hong Kong and Shanghai by through train service or high speed train via Shenzhen.
According to the latest news, Hong Kong high speed train service will start service on September 23 of 2018. If you have any questions, just contact Jack at chinatrain12306@gmail.com.- Option 1 : Hong Kong – Shanghai by high speed train (open on Sept 23)
- Option 2 : Hong Kong – Shenzhen – Shanghai by high speed train (outdated info)
- Option 3 : Hong Kong – Shanghai Through Train (recommended)
The Hong Kong – Shanghai direct high speed trains will pass through Shenzhen North, Guangzhou South, Changsha South, Nanchang West, Shangrao, Jinhua, Hangzhou East and finally reach at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station.
Train Station Maps of Shanghai, Shenzhen & Hong Kong
How to Take a Train from HK West Kowloon
Photos courtesy of Keith Wong, a Singaporean working in HK & ChinaTrain12306 visitor.
Hong Kong to Shanghai: Train VS Flight
| HK to SH Options | Price HK$ | Duration | Note |
| By plane | Dynamic | 2h35 | Check live airfare at Trip.com (English Ctrip) |
| By high speed train | 1159 | 8h17 | Buy at China Highlights or China DIY Travel (Promo code “ct123“) |
| By through train | 530 | 19.5h | see below for option 3 (overnight through train) |
Option 1: Hong Kong – Shanghai by Direct High Speed Train
Hong Kong – Shanghai high speed train service will begin operation in September of 2018, when Hong Kong West Kowloon Station is put into use. By then, Hong Kong will be connected into China’s high speed rail network, allowing passengers to or from Hong Kong or Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen by high speed train service.
Just stay tuned. I will update the latest news later.
How to Buy Tickets for HK – Shanghai High Speed Train
Where to Buy Tickets
- 1. Buy at train stations in Shanghai & Hong Kong
- 2. Book wiht a trusted online ticket agent
- 3. Buy on Hong Kong MTR site
- 4. Book via Tele-ticketing
1. Buy at train stations
In Hong Kong: You can buy tickets at West Kowloon with your valid passport. There are 28 ticket windows & 39 self-service ticket machines in Hong Kong West Kowloon Station for passengers buying tickets. Ticket windows accept payments of cash in Hong Kong dollars or Chinese RMB, e-payment of Octopus cards, Visa, MasterCard, UnionPay, EPS,or mobile payments of Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, WeChat Pay, Samsung Pay, etc. Just use your passport to buy tickets at the counters.
The self-service ticket machines accept Hong Kong dollars, electronic payments (up to HK$1000)of VISA payWave, MasterCard paypass, etc. The ticket machines offer English instructions. Passengers using ticket machines can only buy tickets up to 10 tickets. But the ticket machines do not accept a foreign passport.
| Ticketing Channel in HK | Acceptable Identification Document | Advance Sales | Booking Cut-off Time (before train departure) | Payment Method | ||
| Cash | e-Payment5 | Mobile Payment | ||||
| Ticket Counters | Passport | 28 days | 45 mins | HKD & RMB | Visa MasterCard UnionPay Octopus EPS |
Apple Pay Google Pay Samsung Pay Alipay, Alipay HK WeChat Pay, WeChat Pay HK |
| Ticket Machine | Not accepted | 28 days | 45 mins | HKD | Visa payWave payWave MasterCard contactless Octopus |
Not applicable |
| Online Ticketing | Passport | 30 days | 120 mins | Not applicable | Visa MasterCard UnionPay online Payment |
Not applicable |
| Ticket Agents | Passport | 30 days | – | – | – | – |
| Tele-ticketing | Passport | 30 days | 120 mins | Not applicable | Visa MasterCard |
Not applicable |
In Shanghai: You can buy ticket to Hong Kong in any train stations in Shanghai, including Shanghai Hongqiao Station, Shanghai Railway Station, Shanghai South and Shanghai West. Just go to the one close to you, show up and buy tickets with your passport. Be expected any queue lines there.
2. Book with a Trusted Online Ticket Agent
China Highlights and China DIY Travel (ChinaTrain12306 users can use promo code: ct123 to reduce fees) are the two reliable online ticket agents who get positive reviews and recommened on TripAdvisor for their excellent ticketing service. They offer English live train schedule. You can place order anytime with them and they will buy tickets for you once tickets are released online. The agents can help you select a window seat or aisle seat and even deliver tickets to your hotel. They will charge you service fee or delivery fee.
- Buy at www.chinahiglights.com/china-trains/ (Sharon offers help)
- Buy at http://www.china-diy-travel.com/en/ (Promo code: ct123. Helen offers help)
- Service time: 24/7 hours Payments: Paypayl, Visa, MasterCard, Alipay, etc
3. Buy on Hong Kong MTR Site
Hong Kong MTR Group has launched its online ticketing system both in Chinese and English version, where you can check train schedule, ticket fares and book tickets with your passport.After buying tickets online, you will have to collect them at West Kowloon Station.
4. Book via Tele-ticketing
In Hong Kong, you can buy tickets via Tele-ticketing at 2120 0888.
Important notes: If you buy tikets on Hong Kong MTR official site, you are only be able to collect tickets in HK West Kowloon Station and it is imposible to pick up them in mainland China. So, if you start journey from West Kowloon Station to Shanghai, and want to travel from Shanghai back to HK, you should collect all tickets for both journeys (HK to GZ, GZ to HK) in West Kowloon Station. But if you start your journey from Shanghai Hongqiao, don’t use HK MTR site to book tickets but use a mainland China’s site as you cannot pick up tickets booked at HK MTR site in Shanghai.
Option 2: Hong Kong – Shanghai by High Speed Train via Shenzhen
Since there are no direct high speed trains linking Shanghai and Hong Kong yet, you can still travel between them by bullet train via Shenzhen (Hong Kong – Shenzhen – Shanghai). You can travel between Hong Kong & Shenzhen via MTR service and metro, and travel between Shenzhen and Shanghai via D category high speed trains. Below explains how:
From Hong Kong to Shanghai via Shenzhen: Take Hong Kong’s East Rail Line MTR service to Lok Ma Chau station, where you need to pass the border control and walk into Futian Checkpoint station on Shenzhen side, from where you can take Shenzhen metro line 4 to Shenzhen North Railway Station.
Shenzhen North has 6 daily daytime D category high speed trains to Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, taking about 11.5-12 hours. In addition, 4 D category high speed sleeper trains from Shenzhen North to Shanghai Hongqiao will be added on Sunday,Monday and Saturday weekly. These 4 high speed sleepers run between 20:00-20:20, taking 10.5-11 hours, departing at night and arriving in the morning, saving you a hotel bill.
From Shanghai to Hong Kong via Shenzhen: Just do as above in a opposite direction. Take a D train (daytime train or night high speed sleeper) from Shanghai Hongqiao to Shenzhen North, then get from Shenzhen North to Hong Kong by metro & MTR via Lok Ma Chau station.
Useful resources
- Shenzhen metro planner (official Shenzhen metro site)
- Hong Kong MTR planner (official site)
- Shanghai metro (official site)
- China train ticket booking service
Shenzhen – Shanghai Bullet Train Ticket Fares & Duration
| Shenzhen – Shanghai by D type high speed trains | |||||||
| Train Type | From – To | Frequency | Note | Duration | Ticket Fares (CNY) | ||
| 1st Cls | 2nd Cls | Sleeper | |||||
| D train | Shenzhen North – Shanghai Hongqiao | 6 | – | 11.5-12hrs | 908 | 568 | |
| D sleeper train | Shenzhen North – Shanghai Hongqiao | 4 | Sun, Mon, Sat | 10.5-11hrs | 478.5 | 590 | |
|
For a live schedule & ticket availability, please refer to http://www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains/
|
|||||||
Option 3: Shanghai – Hong Kong by Through Trains
The Shanghai – Hong Kong Through Train (Shanghai – Kowloon Through Train or Hujiu Through Train) is an intercity train service running between Shanghai Railway Station and Hung Hom Station in Kowloon of Hong Kong, calling at Guangzhou East Station, Zhuzhou Railway Station, taking about 19 hours to finish the 1991 km rail journey. It began service from May 19 in 1997, jointly operated by the MTR of Hong Kong and China Railway Corporation.
The Shanghai – Hong Kong Through Train runs every other day. Z99 departs every other day from Shanghai Railway Station and arrives at Hung Hom Station in Kowloon of Hong Kong the following day. Z100 bounds for Shanghai from Hong Kong every second day as well. More details shown below.
Booking Tips
Travelers can buy tickets for the Shanghai – Hong Kong Through Train at stations in Shanghai or Hong Kong with your valid passport. You can also buy tickets with a trusted online ticket agent at China Highlights.
Schedule and Travel Duration
| Train | From – To | Departure | Arrival | TravelTime | Ticket Booking | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z100 | Hong Kong Hung Hom to Shanghai | 15:15 | 10:37 + Day 2 | 19h22m | Book Online | |
| Z99 | Shanghai to Hong Kong Hung Hom | 17:45 | 13:01+ Day 2 | 18h40m | Book Online | |
| Z99 Shanghai to Hong Kong | Stops | Z100 Hong Kong to Shanghai | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | Day | Arrival | Departue | Arrival | Departure | Day | Distance | |
| 0 | Day 1 | — | 17:45 | Shanghai | 10:37 | — | Day 2 | 1991 |
| 1155 | Day 2 | 02:57 | 03:13 | Zhuzhou | 01:03 | 01:23 | Day 2 | 836 |
| 1818 | Day 2 | 10:08 | 11:04 | Guangzhou East | 17:16 | 18:12 | Day 1 | 173 |
| 1991 | Day 2 | 13:01 | — | Hung Hom HK | — | 15:15 | Day 1 | 0 |
Z99 & Z100 Operation Days in 2018
How to read the table below? Let me explain it with an example.
For example: In May of 2018, the Z100 from HK to SH will only run on even dates like May 2, 4, 6 or 8…, while Z99 from SH to HK will only run on odd dates like May 1, 3, 5, or 7.
| Month | Z100 HK to SH | Z99 SH to HK |
|---|---|---|
| Jan, 2018 | Even Dates | Odd Dates |
| Feb, 2018 | Odd Dates | Even Dates |
| March, 2018 | Odd Dates | Even Dates |
| April, 2018 | Even Dates | Odd Dates |
| May, 2018 | Even Dates | Odd Dates |
| June, 2018 | Odd Dates | Even Dates |
| July, 2018 | Odd Dates | Even Dates |
| Augt, 2018 | Even Dates | Odd Dates |
| Sept, 2018 | Odd Dates | Even Dates |
| Oct, 2018 | Odd Dates | Even Dates |
| Nov, 2018 | Even Dates | Odd Dates |
| Dec, 2018 | Even Dates | Odd Dates |
Ticket Price (HK$)
Original Fare
| Ticket Type | Adult | Child | ||||||||
| Deluxe Soft Sleeper | Soft Sleeper | Hard Sleeper | Deluxe Soft Sleeper | Soft Sleeper | Hard Sleeper | |||||
| Lower | Middle | Upper | Lower | Middle | Upper | |||||
| Hung Hom – Shanghai | $1039 | $825 | $530 | $519 | $508 | $680 | $527 | $342 | $331 | $320 |
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 from $6.
Option 2: China DIY Travel is also a trusted online ticketing agent & get recommended for their excellent service on TripAdvisor. Helen & her Australian husband, team are always helpful buying tickets for foreigners. ChinaTrain12306 users can use PROMO CODE “ct123” to reduce booking fees.
