Chengdu Train Stations: East, South & West Compared

A high-speed train at a Chengdu station at dusk. Illustration: Trip.com

Chengdu has three railway stations in passenger service: Chengdu East in Chenghua District, Chengdu South in Wuhou District and Chengdu West in Qingyang District. A fourth, Chengdu Station, which locals call Huoche Beizhan ("North Station"), sits about 5 km north of Tianfu Square and has been closed for rebuilding since 11 October 2022. A fifth, Tianfu Station in Tianfu New Area, is due to be finished at the end of 2026 and will not take passengers before then.

Two more stops on the same network serve the airports: Shuangliu Airport station, a three to five minute walk from the terminals, and Tianfu Airport station, underneath the GTC building between T1 and T2. They are part of the picture because a train ticket to either airport station is often the fastest way across the city.

The names are not interchangeable. A ticket to Chengdu East will not get you to Chengdu South, and the two are 11 km apart — roughly 30 minutes by taxi, longer in the morning peak. Check the Chinese characters on the ticket, not just the English name.

Where the three open stations, the closed Chengdu Station and the two airports sit. Illustration: Trip.com

Chengdu Station opened in 1952 as the starting point of the Chengdu–Chongqing Railway, the first line built by the new republic, and for 70 years it was the address people meant by "Chengdu railway station". Passenger services stopped on 11 October 2022. The rebuilt station will have 10 platforms and 18 tracks instead of 6 and 12, a station building of about 80,000 square metres, a 96,000 square metre elevated plaza over the tracks, and metro Lines 1, 7 and a new Line 18 stop.

It is being rebuilt together with the Chengdu–Chongqing high-speed line, and both are due to open in 2027, when the trip to Chongqing should drop to about 50 minutes. Until then, no passenger train leaves from Huoche Beizhan, so ignore any map or old guide that sends you there. The nearest working alternative is Chengdu East, 8 km to the east.

Tianfu Station sits east of Xinglong Lake in Tianfu New Area and is the largest railway building in Sichuan: 12 platforms and 22 tracks, about 120,000 square metres of floor area, roughly 20,000 square metres more than Chengdu East. It will take the Chengdu–Zigong–Yibin and Chengdu–Dazhou–Wanzhou high-speed lines, with metro Lines 18 and 19 opening entrances when the station does.

Construction reached structural completion in 2026 and the target is to finish by the end of the year, which is not the same as opening. If a booking site offers you "Tianfu" before then, check whether it means the airport station, which has been open since December 2023, rather than the city station.

If you are choosing a station rather than reading one off a ticket, work backwards from where you are going next. The three open stations split the network cleanly: East for long-distance high-speed trains, South for short intercity hops to the south, West for the lines heading towards Tibet and the western hills.

Trains from Chongqing arrive at either Chengdu East or Chengdu South, depending on the service, and both take roughly an hour. Chengdu South is the better arrival point if you are staying around Chunxi Road, Tianfu Square or the Wuhou area, because Line 1 runs straight north into the centre. Chengdu East is better for onward high-speed trains, for Tianfu Airport and for hotels around Chunxi Road on Line 2.

If your ticket says Chongqing North, that is the departure station on the other side, not the arrival one — the naming confuses plenty of travellers in both directions.

Chengdu East is the station most visitors end up using, with 14 platforms, more than 300 trains a day and the widest spread of long-distance high-speed services in western China. These are the routes worth planning a trip around.

Fares above are second class on the fastest departure of the day and move with demand, so the same seat can cost more on a Friday evening than on a Tuesday morning. Slower D and K trains on the same routes are cheaper and take two to four hours longer. Beijing is about 7.5 hours by day train, Shanghai about 10 to 11.5 hours, and both are usually better flown unless you want the ride itself.

All three open stations have a metro station in the building or directly beneath the square, and on a weekday the metro beats a taxi almost every time. Fares run from CNY 2 to about CNY 8 depending on distance, payable with a single ticket from the machines or a QR code in Alipay or WeChat. Lines here are fast and air-conditioned, and every station has English signage.

Kuanzhai Alley is two stops from Tianfu Square on Line 4, so the whole centre is within 35 minutes of East. If you are staying in the north of the city, Line 7 to Chengdu Station and then Line 1 is the quicker combination.

South is the smallest of the three stations and the easiest to leave: arrivals, exits, taxis and buses are all on the ground floor, with the metro one level below. The High-Tech Zone around it has plenty of hotels if you have an early flight from Tianfu.

West is the quietest station of the three and the one closest to the Dujiangyan and Qingchengshan day-trip trains, so it makes sense if your hotel is on the west side or if you are heading for the mountains rather than the city.

Chengdu runs two international airports. Shuangliu (CTU), 16 km southwest of the centre, handles mostly domestic and regional flights; Tianfu (TFU), about 50 km southeast, takes the long-haul international traffic. Which one your flight uses decides whether a train or the metro is the better link from your station.

Tianfu Airport station is an underground station inside the GTC building between T1 and T2, reached by lift or escalator from the arrivals hall in a few minutes. Trains from Chengdu East take 27 minutes and cost CNY 24 in second class. In the other direction roughly 39 trains a day run from the airport to Chengdu East, from 08:23 to about 22:22, which makes it the easiest rail-to-air connection in western China.

The metro alternative is Line 7 to Chengdu South and then Line 18, about 80 minutes in total and cheaper, but you will be changing trains with your bags. The airport bus 4 leaves from the West Plaza and takes around 70 minutes for CNY 15, with the advantage of a guaranteed seat.

If you land at Tianfu and your next train leaves from Chengdu South, you barely need to think: Line 18 runs from the airport into the station without a change, 50 minutes for CNY 10. An express service does it in 33 minutes and leaves roughly once an hour between 06:00 and 23:00. It is also the cheapest airport transfer of any kind in the city.

West has no direct airport line. To Tianfu, take Line 9 east to Incubation Park and change to Line 18, allowing 85 to 95 minutes with bags. To Shuangliu, take Line 9 to Huaxing and change to Line 10, about 50 minutes. With an early flight or heavy luggage a taxi is worth the CNY 40 to 60 to Shuangliu; to Tianfu it is 50 to 70 minutes and CNY 120 to 160, so the metro usually wins.

Each of the three buildings works differently, and knowing which level you need saves the twenty minutes people lose walking the wrong way with a suitcase.

East is a five-level terminal with 14 platforms and 26 tracks, opened in 2011 and now the busiest station in western China. Departures are on the second floor, platforms on the first, and everything to do with leaving the station is on B1.

To leave, come off the train and follow the crowd down to B1. Metro signs point to Lines 2 and 7; "East Plaza" leads to city buses and the taxi rank, "West Plaza" to the airport bus, long-distance coaches and the car park. Allow 10 to 15 minutes from platform to street in the peak.

South is a compact four-level station with five platforms and 11 tracks, rebuilt in 2014 and much easier to use than East. The waiting room and food outlets are on 3F, entrances, ticket offices and platforms on 2F, arrivals and exits on 1F, and the metro on B1.

Leaving is a two-minute walk: exit on 1F, cross the square for taxis and buses, or take the escalator down for the metro. Because the building is small, there is no wrong exit to take.

West opened in December 2018 and is the smallest of the three, a single concourse above the platforms with a square in front. It handles the Chengdu–Ya'an line, the Chengdu–Pujiang line and the daily trains to Dujiangyan and Qingchengshan, plus the Z322 to Lhasa, which leaves at 20:46 every other day and takes 34 hours 38 minutes.

To leave, follow the metro signs down from the concourse or step out onto the square for taxis and the tram. It is the calmest of the three stations and the only one where you can arrive 30 minutes before departure without stress.

A station departure hall in Chengdu. Illustration: Trip.com

Chinese rail tickets are sold by real name, so the passport number on the booking must match the passport you carry. Sales usually open about 15 days before departure, and popular services on the Chongqing, Leshan and Xi'an routes sell out in the days before a holiday.

Trip.com sells the same seats with an English interface and international cards, and issues an e-ticket immediately. The official 12306 app is free of booking fees but needs an account and passport verification that can take a few days. Ticket counters at all three stations accept passports, and there is a dedicated window for foreign travellers on the second floor at Chengdu East.

Arrive 45 to 60 minutes before departure, or 90 minutes on public holidays. Your passport goes on the reader at the entrance check, bags go through the X-ray, and you board by scanning the same passport at the gate. Gates close three to five minutes before departure, and Chengdu East is a long walk from entrance to far platforms, so do not plan to arrive at the last minute.

Luggage limits are generous: 20 kg per adult, with no single piece longer than 160 cm in total dimensions. Knives over 6 cm, aerosols above 120 ml, lighters and power banks above the allowed rating are taken at security.

Three are open to passengers: Chengdu East, Chengdu South and Chengdu West. Chengdu Station, known as North Station, has been closed for rebuilding since October 2022 and reopens in 2027; Tianfu Station is due to finish at the end of 2026 and is not yet in service.

Chengdu Station is the closest at about 5 km, but it is closed. Of the three open stations, Chengdu South is nearest at about 7 km, followed by Chengdu East at 8 km and Chengdu West at 10 km. Chengdu East is often quicker in practice because Line 2 runs straight to Chunxi Road in about 22 minutes.

Chengdu East or Chengdu South, depending on the service. Both take about an hour to an hour and a half. Choose South for Chunxi Road and the city centre, East for onward high-speed trains and Tianfu Airport.

Take the high-speed train from Chengdu East to Tianfu Airport station: 27 minutes and CNY 24, with the station inside the GTC between the two terminals. The metro alternative is Line 7 to Chengdu South and Line 18, about 80 minutes, or airport bus 4 from the West Plaza, about 70 minutes for CNY 15.

No. Passenger services stopped on 11 October 2022 and the rebuilt station is due to open in 2027 together with the Chengdu–Chongqing high-speed line. Use Chengdu East, Chengdu South or Chengdu West instead.

Plan the rest of the trip with these guides: