The Beijing–Kowloon through train () is an

intercity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...

railway service between

Hung Hom station Hung Hom () is a railway station in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is an interchange station between the and the domestic services of the MTR network, as well as the southern terminus of cross-border through-trains to mainland China whic ...

(formerly Kowloon station until 1998) in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

and the

Beijing West railway station Beijingxi (Beijing West) railway station (), colloquially referred to as ''West Station'' (), is located in western Beijing's Fengtai District. Opened in early 1996 after three years of construction, it was the largest railway station in As ...

, jointly operated by the

MTRC MTR Corporation Limited is a majority government-owned public transport operator and property developer in Hong Kong which operates the Mass Transit Railway, the most popular public transport network in Hong Kong. It is listed on the Hon ...

and

China Railway China State Railway Group Company, Ltd., doing business as China Railway (CR), is the national passenger and freight railroad corporation of the People's Republic of China. China Railway operates passenger and freight transport throughout Ch ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

's national rail service. The train runs to Beijing and Hong Kong every other day. Services use the

East Rail line The East Rail line () is one of ten lines of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong. It used to be one of the three lines of the Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR) network. It was known as the KCR British Section () from 1910 to 1996, ...

, cross the boundary between Hong Kong and mainland China at

Lo Wu Lo Wu or Lowu is an area in North District, New Territories, Hong Kong. It lies on the border between Hong Kong and mainland China, specifically the Luohu District of Shenzhen in mainland China. The area is most notable as the location of th ...

and then continue along China's railway network via the Guangshen railway and the Jingguang railway to Beijing. Total journey time is approximately 23 hours, and the train uses 25T class train carriages. From 28 December 2017, travellers of selected nationalities are able to utilise the 144-hour transit when travelling on this line to or from Beijing, providing that they clear immigration in Beijing. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the service has been suspended indefinitely since 30 January 2020.

Carriages

The train operates in two parts, where 11 carriages depart Hong Kong (travelling under number T97B from Beijing and T98B from Hong Kong) with an additional 8 carriages added at

Guangzhou East railway station Guangzhoudong (Guangzhou East) railway station (), formerly known as Tianhe railway station () serves the city of Guangzhou, located in the city's Tianhe District. The railway, metro, and bus terminal stations is interconnected as a single stat ...

(using number Z97A/Z98A), totalling 19 carriages. Along the route, trains stop at

Changsha Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a population of over 10 million, an ...

Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province in the China, People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the List of cities in China ...

and

Zhengzhou Zhengzhou (; ), also spelt Zheng Zhou and alternatively romanized as Chengchow, is the capital and largest city of Henan Province in the central part of the People's Republic of China. Located in north-central Henan, it is one of the National ...

, though only passengers travelling from Guangzhou may disembark due to customs and immigration reasons. The Hong Kong to Beijing section of the train is divided into three distinct classes –

hard sleeper The Hard sleeper (, abbreviated YW), is a passenger railway compartment class in the People's Republic of China. Hard sleeper is a class on most Z-series, T-series express trains and K-series rapid trains. They are the cheapest type of sleepers ...

soft sleeper The soft sleeper (), abbreviated RW or WR (CRH), is a passenger railway compartment class in the People's Republic of China. Soft sleeper is the main class on most Z-series express trains, and are grouped in several carriages as part of slower t ...

and luxury soft sleeper (catering only to two persons, with better furnishing and private lavatories). The Guangzhou to Beijing section of the train only have hard sleepers and

hard seat The Hard seat () or Semi-cushioned seat, abbreviated YZ, is the cheapest class of seating in China Railway. It is available on non-high-speed trains. The name of Hard seat derives comes from the hard, wooden seats in the Mao era on regular pass ...

s. Dining services are provided by the

Guangshen Railway Company Guangshen Railway Co., Ltd. (GSRC) is the operator of Guangzhou-Shenzhen Railway (Guang-shen Railway), the 152-kilometre railway link between Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong, China. The company is engaged in railway passenger and freight tra ...

. Passengers may choose to buy from carts which are pushed throughout the train at different intervals, or choose to dine in the

dining car A dining car (American English) or a restaurant car (British English), also a diner, is a railroad passenger car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant. It is distinct from other railroad food service cars that ...

. The dining car provides a selection of light refreshments, along with two sets of menus (one for breakfast, and one for lunch/dinner) providing a range of cooked, ''a la carte'' dishes. File:China Railway RW19T passenger coaches 20100725.jpg, RW_19TLuxury soft sleeper carriage File:China Railway RW19T passenger coaches 20100725 363.jpg, Interior of a luxury soft sleeper cabin File:China Railway RW19T passenger coaches 20100725 365.jpg, Another view of the interior of a luxury soft sleeper cabin

Locomotives

The train changes locomotives once on the way.

Operation

Beijing West Railway Station Train availability board P97 Kowloon June-2017

Ticketing

Beijing-bound passengers from Hong Kong may order tickets from an online reservation system operated by the MTR Corporation. The system is limited to the one-way, Hong Kong to Beijing trips only. Ordering of tickets requires extensive registration, including a credit card number, and tickets can only be delivered in the Hong Kong SAR, which makes it impossible for most non-HK resident customers to order. Travellers for Beijing may purchase northbound tickets at a dedicated counter at Hung Hom station, whilst southbound tickets from Beijing to Hong Kong can only be purchased in Beijing or from travel agencies.

Service

Passengers departing from or arriving at Hong Kong can embark or disembark from platforms 5 or 6 of Hung Hom Station, which is restricted to intercity operations. Prior to boarding, passengers must go through Hong Kong immigration counters and cannot exit the restricted area. Immigration and Quarantine Hall@BJX (20150105123706)

Immigration and Quarantine Hall@BJX (20150105123706)

Trains use platform 1 of Beijing West railway station, which is connected to the check hall for this particular through train service. Passengers coming from or going to Hong Kong clear Chinese immigration and customs in the hall. The part of the platform between the hall and the passenger cars for Hong Kong is cordoned off Trains operate from either terminating stations on an alternate schedule, under the following timetable:Official timetable
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References

External links

MTRC intercity passenger services
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beijing-Kowloon through train Z Passenger rail transport in Hong Kong Rail transport in Beijing MTR