Published on : 05/06/2024
With increasing interactions between Hong Kong and Mainland, Starting next Saturday (June 15), the Hong Kong intercity through train to Beijing and Shanghai will be upgraded to high-speed rail sleeper trains departing at West Kowloon Station.
The travel time is reduced by 8 to 12 hours, making "sleep overnight and wake up in Beijing or Shanghai" a reality!
Travel time halved and "co-location arrangement" adopted
The China State Railway Group announced the suspension of the Hong Kong intercity through train to Beijing and Shanghai, which have been operating for four and a half years.
The trains will now depart from West Kowloon instead of Hung Hom, using high-speed sleeper trains which will leave at night and arrive in the following morning at Beijing West and Shanghai Hongqiao on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays.
In terms of travel time, compared with the previous intercity through trains, the journey time will be reduced by half.
The total travel time from Hong Kong to Beijing would be 12 hours and 34 minutes, and to Shanghai is about 11 hours and 14 minutes.
In terms of fares, there are three types of fares for round trips between West Kowloon and Beijing West, ranging from 937 HKD to 1,448 HKD; there are five types of fares for round trips between West Kowloon and Shanghai Hongqiao, ranging from 682 HKD to 2,128 HKD.
Secondly, co-location arrangement of will be adopted, which will bring increased convenience for passengers.
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More advanced train facilities
Thirdly, in terms of the trains, the new high-speed sleeper trains consist of 16 cars and can accommodate approximately 600
passengers.
The trains are composed of 13 sleeper cars, one dining car, and two second-class seating cars; the train operating to and from Shanghai Hongqiao also includes one premium sleeper car.
The facilities on the sleeper trains are more advanced, making the long-haul travel experience of passengers more comfortable .
Fourthly, the scope of access has also expanded. Previously, passengers of the through train can only depart or arrive at three cites: Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.
And this will been changed. Passengers can now depart or arrive at stations such as Shijiazhuang, Guangzhou, Shenzhen North, and Hangzhou East along the Beijing-Hong Kong and Shanghai-Hong Kong high-speed railway lines.
Relevant tickets will be available for sale from 12:00 pm on June 5 on various ticketing channels, such as the 12306 online ticketing platform and mobile app, station ticket counters, and ticket machines.
High-speed rail to Zhangjiajie will launch on the same day
In addition, starting from June 15, the Hong Kong Section of the High-Speed Rail will also launch a long-haul route to and from Hunan Province, adding six new stations: Shaoyang, Huaihua South, Dongkou, Fenghuang Ancient City, Jishou East, and Zhangjiajie West.
The frequency of trains between West Kowloon Station and short-haul stations such as Guangzhou East and Shenzhen North will also increase.
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