Beijing Railway Station: Metro, Trains & Tickets (2026)

New Trip.com users get 3% off China train tickets. Claim the coupon in the app, search any G, D or C train, and pay with an international credit card. The ticket is issued to your passport, so there is no Chinese bank account, no printed ticket and no collection queue.

Get 3% off China train tickets

For current discounts, see the latest Trip.com promo codes, updated weekly.

Beijing Railway Station (北京站) stands on Beijingzhan Street in Dongcheng District, just inside the 2nd Ring Road and about 4 km from Tiananmen Square. It opened on 4 October 1959 as one of the Ten Great Buildings marking the tenth anniversary of the People's Republic, and it is still the most central of Beijing's main stations.

That location is the reason to use it. The station is about 3 km from the Forbidden City and roughly 2.5 km from Wangfujing, with Tiananmen Square a short taxi or two metro stops away. If you are staying downtown and taking an overnight train, this is the station that saves you a cross-city trip.

It handles conventional trains rather than high-speed ones: Z, T and K services to the northeast and along the old Beijing–Shanghai line, plus overnight sleepers. Since 2021 a handful of G trains to Shenyang and beyond also call here, but most northeast high-speed departures use Beijing Chaoyang instead.

The station has eight platforms and dates from an era when everyone queued at a window, so the layout feels older than Beijing South or Beijing West. Renovations have modernised the interior, but the bones are 1959.

Photo: Edward Stojakovic via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Beijing's stations are assigned by direction, not by geography, and the names are easy to confuse. Check the full station name on your booking.

If your ticket says Beijing and the train number starts with Z, T or K, you are almost certainly here. If it starts with G and the destination is Shanghai or Tianjin, you are at the wrong station — that is Beijing South.

Line 2 is the loop line around the old city, and the station sits on it. Exit C comes up inside the station forecourt, so you walk straight from the platform to the entrance without crossing a road.

Services start around 05:00 and finish near 23:00. Buy a single ticket from the machines or tap with Alipay or WeChat.

The forecourt has a taxi rank, but the station area is congested for much of the day. Reference fares:

Drivers sometimes refuse short trips at the rank during peak hours; walking to the main road and hailing through DiDi is usually faster.

Five bus stands sit on the east and west sides of the forecourt, serving routes along Chang'an Avenue and into Chaoyang. Buses cost CNY 2 and are only worth it if your hotel is on a direct line.

There is no large car park at the station itself. If a friend is dropping you off, use the forecourt drop-off zone on the east side; long-stay parking is easier at a nearby commercial garage.

Search Beijing to your destination, filter by train type, and pay with a card or PayPal. The e-ticket is linked to your passport within minutes. Booking opens 15 days before departure, and overnight sleepers to Harbin and Shanghai are the first to go around holidays.

Search all China train tickets

The official app has no booking fee and an English interface, but foreign passport verification can take 3–5 days. Start the process early if you plan to rely on it.

The ticket hall is on the west side of the building on 1F, with separate windows for sales, changes and refunds. Additional windows sit beside the exit gates. Staff at the international and soft-seat counters speak English, which makes this one of the easier stations in China for a counter purchase.

Most services here are overnight or long-distance conventional trains. Fares below are the cheapest sleeper or seat on the route, checked in October 2026.

The Shanghai and Nanjing overnight trains are a genuinely useful alternative to a daytime high-speed ticket: you leave after dinner and arrive in the morning, saving a hotel night.

International services to Ulaanbaatar, Moscow and Pyongyang have historically left from this station. Schedules for these routes have been suspended or reduced in recent years, so confirm the current status on the official railway site before planning around them.

Foreign passport holders use the manual channel at the gate rather than the self-service reader. The queue is shorter than it looks because most passengers are on Chinese ID cards.

Photo: MNXANL via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

The building is a long rectangle: the ticket hall is on the west, the main waiting halls sit above the platforms, and the metro is directly below the forecourt. Arriving by metro puts you at the right end for the ticket hall.

Photo: MNXANL via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Storage is available near the ticket hall on the west side of the building, and there are electronic lockers at metro Exit C. The storage centre on the forecourt requires a security check before drop-off. Expect to pay per bag per day, with larger suitcases costing more.

Wi-Fi is free in the waiting halls. Charging points are scattered rather than built into every seat, so a power bank is worth carrying. Mobile signal is good on the upper level and patchy on the platform level.

The waiting halls have a supermarket, restaurants and coffee, and free drinking water is available. It is functional rather than pleasant — if you want a proper meal, Wangfujing is a 20-minute walk or two metro stops away.

The information desk on 2F handles directions, lost property and assistance. Metro Exit A is step-free, and station staff can arrange a wheelchair if you ask at the desk. A police office handles lost passports.

For Capital Airport, ride Line 2 three stops to Dongzhimen and change to the Airport Express, which runs to Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 in about 30 minutes for CNY 25. The airport bus leaves from the east side of the forecourt, next to the Beijingzhan East bus yard.

Daxing is on the opposite side of the city, about 50 km away. The metro route involves two changes and takes well over 90 minutes; a taxi is the realistic choice.

This is the station's real advantage. The Forbidden City is about 3 km west, and there are three ways to cover it:

Book Forbidden City tickets in advance on the official WeChat mini-program; they are released seven days ahead and sell out in peak season.

Photo: EditQ via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

If you have an hour before an overnight train, eat at Wangfujing or Chongwenmen rather than in the station — the quality gap is large for a ten-minute walk.

For a single overnight before a train, Wangfujing is the best compromise: you can walk to the station in the morning and still see Tiananmen the evening before.

How early should I arrive at Beijing Railway Station?

45–60 minutes before departure. The station is compact, but security queues and the walk to the 2F waiting halls take time.

Which metro line serves Beijing Railway Station?

Line 2 only. Exit C opens directly into the station forecourt.

Is Beijing Railway Station close to the Forbidden City?

Yes. It is about 3 km away, two metro stops plus a walk, or 15 minutes by taxi.

Does Beijing Railway Station have high-speed trains?

A small number of G trains to the northeast call here, but most high-speed services use Beijing South, Beijing West or Beijing Chaoyang. Check the station name on your ticket.

Can I leave luggage at the station?

Yes, near the west ticket hall, plus electronic lockers at metro Exit C.

How do I get from Beijing Railway Station to Beijing Capital Airport?

Line 2 to Dongzhimen then the Airport Express, about 50–60 minutes for CNY 28. A taxi takes 40–60 minutes and costs around CNY 100.

Do I need to print my ticket?

No. Your passport is the ticket. Keep it accessible for the ID check, the gate and the platform.

Are there overnight trains to Shanghai from here?

Yes. Z and T services take 13–19 hours and start at CNY 304.5 for a hard sleeper, arriving the next morning.