Beijing South Railway Station: High-Speed Trains & Metro (2026)

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Beijing South Railway Station (北京南站) sits at No. 12 Chezhan Road, Yongdingmenwai, in Fengtai District, about 7.5 km south of Tiananmen Square, between the 2nd and 3rd Ring Roads.

The station opened on 1 August 2008, just before the Beijing Olympics, and has 24 platforms under a single 320,000 sq m roof. It is the city's high-speed terminal: every train here is a G or D service, so if your ticket says Beijing South, you are almost certainly on a 300 km/h train rather than an overnight sleeper.

Where it takes you, roughly:

Photo: N509FZ via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Beijing has more than a dozen railway stations and they are not interchangeable. Google Maps will happily send you to the wrong one. Check the full station name on your ticket before you leave the hotel.

A rough rule: south and east of Beijing goes from Beijing South, southwest and west from Beijing West, northeast conventional from Beijing Railway Station, and the Great Wall from Beijing North.

Both lines stop in the basement of the station, which is the easiest arrival in Beijing. Line 4 uses the -2F level and Line 14 the -3F level; from either platform you follow signs up to the -1F transfer hall and then take the escalator to the 2F departure hall.

Give yourself 20–30 minutes from Tiananmen to the station gates, plus the walk to your platform.

Drivers drop off on the elevated road at the 2F entrance, which puts you at the departure hall rather than the ground floor. Reference fares, normal traffic:

Avoid 07:30–09:30 and 17:30–19:30 if you are cutting it fine; the 2nd Ring Road southbound is the usual bottleneck.

The south square bus stands serve routes 15, 53, 343, 414, 529, 652, 665 and night bus 24. On the Kaiyangqiao South side you also get 144 and 485. Buses cost CNY 2 and are slow in traffic — useful only if you are staying on a direct route.

Follow signs for the underground car park rather than the drop-off ramp. Parking is charged hourly with a daily cap; pay at the machines near the lift lobbies before you go back to the car.

Take the Airport Express to Dongzhimen, switch to Line 2 and then Line 4 at Xuanwumen. The whole trip is about 1 hour 10 minutes and roughly CNY 30. A taxi takes 55 minutes and costs CNY 130–150.

For Daxing Airport, see the airport section below.

Photo: N509FZ via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Tickets are tied to your passport. The name and passport number on the booking must match the passport you carry, because that document is your ticket at the gate.

Search "Beijing South" to your destination, pick a G or D train, and choose second class, first class or business class. International cards and PayPal work, the e-ticket arrives within minutes, and you board by scanning the passport you booked with.

Tickets usually open 15 days before departure. On the Shanghai and Tianjin routes, holiday seats can sell out within hours of release.

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The official China Railway app is free of booking fees and now has an English interface. The catch is identity verification for foreign passports, which can take 3–5 days, and some international cards are declined. Set it up well before you travel if you want to use it.

Beijing South has ticket offices at the four corners of the 2F departure hall and two more on -1F, plus self-service machines. Most machines read Chinese ID cards only; for a passport, queue at a staffed window. Bring the passport and allow extra time at peak periods.

Fares below are second class on the fastest direct service, checked in October 2026. Peak dates, including Golden Week and Chinese New Year, run higher.

Longer runs from the same hall include Fuzhou in about 7 hours 50 minutes and Xiamen in about 11 hours.

Gates close 5 minutes before departure. If you miss the train, go to a ticket office the same day — staff can usually move you to a later service if seats remain.

Each platform is served by two gates: A at the front half of the train and B at the rear half. A ticket for carriage 3 uses gate A; carriage 12 uses gate B. Walking the full 400-metre platform with luggage in the wrong direction is the most common first-timer mistake here.

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

The building is symmetrical: the east and west sides mirror each other, and the gate numbers rise from one end to the other. If you remember nothing else, remember that the metro is directly below the hall, not a separate walk.

Photo: Yiyuan Xinju via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Paid storage is on -1F, charged per bag per day at roughly CNY 15–20. It is the practical option if you arrive hours before a hotel check-in or want to spend a half day in the city without your suitcase.

First and business class passengers use the lounge free with their ticket. Second class passengers can usually buy entry for around CNY 50, which includes seating, drinks, charging and priority boarding calls.

Wi-Fi is free throughout the station. Charging machines sit on both the east and west sides of the 2F hall, but they fill up before the evening departures, so carry a power bank. Mobile signal is weaker on the lower levels.

The 2F information desk arranges wheelchairs and staff assistance, and the station has lifts to every level. Hot water dispensers are next to the washrooms. For a medical emergency, ask at the information desk; a first-aid room and station police office are on site.

For Daxing, take Line 4 north to a Line 10 interchange, ride to Caoqiao and change to the Daxing Airport Express. The metro route is cheaper but involves two changes with luggage.

As a rule of thumb, leave 3 hours between a train arrival and an international flight, and 2 hours for a domestic flight. Add 30 minutes during holiday periods.

Tianjin is the easiest day trip from this station. Trains run roughly every 10–20 minutes from early morning to late evening, the journey is 30 minutes, and second class starts at CNY 58.

From Tianjin station you can walk to the Italian Style Town in 15 minutes, reach the Tianjin Eye by taxi in 10, and be back in Beijing for dinner. Buy a return ticket when you arrive rather than guessing a time — off-peak seats are rarely a problem.

Station prices run 20–30% above the street. If you have more than two hours, the Qianmen and Dashilan area is two metro stops and a short walk away, with proper Beijing restaurants rather than counters.

If you have an early train, staying within two stops of the station beats a downtown hotel — Beijing South's security queues get long from 07:00.

How early should I arrive at Beijing South Railway Station?

45–60 minutes before departure, and 90 minutes on public holidays. Security and the walk to the 2F hall take longer than most visitors expect.

Which metro lines stop at Beijing South?

Lines 4 and 14, both in the basement of the station. Line 4 is on -2F and Line 14 on -3F.

Do I need a paper ticket to board?

No. Chinese high-speed rail is fully e-ticketed. Your passport is the ticket at the gate, so keep it accessible rather than buried in a bag.

Can I store luggage at Beijing South?

Yes, on -1F, charged per bag per day at around CNY 15–20.

How far in advance can I book tickets?

Usually 15 days before departure. Shanghai and Tianjin services sell out first around holidays.

Is Beijing South the station for the Great Wall?

No. Use Beijing North for Badaling, or Beijing Chaoyang for Zhangjiakou. Beijing South only handles high-speed lines to the south and east.

How do I get from Beijing South to Beijing Capital Airport?

Airport Express plus metro takes about 1 hour 10 minutes for CNY 30; a taxi takes 55 minutes and costs CNY 130–150.

Can I get to Tianjin and back in a day?

Yes. Trains take 30 minutes and run every 10–20 minutes, so a morning departure and an evening return leaves a full day in Tianjin.