Beijing-Kowloon Through Train
Encyclopedia
Inter-city rail
Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that cover longer distances than commuter or regional trains.There is no precise definition of inter-city rail. Its meaning may vary from country to country...
railway service between Hung Hom Station (which was called Kowloon Station until 1998) in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and the Beijing West Railway Station
Beijing west railway station
Beijing West Railway Station, also known as Beijing West or West Passenger 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 Asia with 510,000m². The station serves in average 150,000–180,000...
, jointly operated by the MTR
MTR
Mass Transit Railway is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Originally opened in 1979, the system now includes 211.6 km of rail with 155 stations, including 86 railway stations and 69 light rail stops...
of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
's national rail service. The train runs to Beijing and Hong Kong every other day. Services use the East Rail Line in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, cross the boundary between Hong Kong and mainland China at Lo Wu
Lo Wu
Lo Wu or Lowu is an area in North District, New Territories, Hong Kong. It lies on the borders between Hong Kong and mainland China, specifically the Luohu District of Shenzhen in mainland China. The area is most notable as the location of the most heavily used immigration control point for...
and then continue along China's railway network via the Guangshen railway and the Jingguang railway
Jingguang Railway
The Beijing–Guangzhou Railway or Jingguang Railway is a major arterial railway in the China that connects Beijing in the north with Guangzhou in the south. This dual-track electrified line has a total length of 2,324 kilometres and spans five provinces through north, central and south China...
to Beijing. Total journey time is approximately 23 hours, and the train uses 25T class train carriages.
Carriages
The train is actually made up of two parts: to the 11 carriages that depart Hong Kong (which travel under number T97B from Beijing and T98B from Hong Kong), another 8 are added at Guangzhou East Railway StationGuangzhou East railway station
Guangzhou East Railway Station serves the city of Guangzhou, China. It is located in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China....
(using number T97A/T98A). Along the route, trains stop at Changsha, Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
and Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou , is the capital and largest city of Henan province in north-central China. A prefecture-level city, it also serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational centre of the province, as well as a major transportation hub for Central China...
; yet only passengers travelling from Guangzhou can get off at these stations, and from Hong Kong only a service to Beijing is provided. Passengers taking T97A/T98A (Beijing West-Guangzhou East
Guangzhou East railway station
Guangzhou East Railway Station serves the city of Guangzhou, China. It is located in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China....
) can.
| Carriage number | 1 | 2 | 3－5 | 6－9 | 10 | 11 | 12-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type of carriages | XL25T Baggage van (Chinese Chinese language The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages... : 行李车) |
YW25T Hard sleeper Hard sleeper The hard sleeper , is a passenger railway compartment class in the People's Republic of China. Hard sleeper is a class on most Z-series express trains. They are less expensive than soft sleepers.... (Chinese: 硬卧车) |
YW25T Hard Sleeper (Chinese: 硬卧车) |
RW25T Soft sleeper Soft sleeper The Soft Sleeper , abbreviated RW or WR , 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 trains... (Chinese: 软卧车) |
RW19T Luxury Soft Sleeper (Chinese: 高级包厢软卧车） |
CA25T Dining car Dining car A dining car or restaurant carriage , also diner, is a railroad passenger car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant.... (Chinese: 餐车) |
YW25T Hard Sleeper |
YZ25T Hard seat Hard seat The Hard seat , abbreviated YZ, is the lowest class of seating in China Railway. It is the basic fare, somewhat similar to the economy class on an airplane.... (Chinese: 硬座车) |
YW25T Hard Sleeper |
UZ25T postal car (Chinese: 邮政车) |
| Notes | Carriages No.1-11 go to Hong Kong（T97B/98B） | Carriages No.12-19 only serve passengers taking T97A/98A | ||||||||
Locomotives
The train changes locomotives once on the way.| Sections | Kowloon－Guangzhou East | Guangzhou East－Wuchang－Beijing West |
|---|---|---|
| Locomotives and their allocation | SS8 China Railways SS8 The SS8 is a 25kV 50 Hz AC electric locomotive used on the Peoples' Republic of China's national railway system. The only route they were used on was the Jingguang line, the railway line linking Beijing West Railway Station with Guangzhou, Guangdong.... electric locomotive Electric locomotive An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device... Guangzhou Railway Group Guangzhou Depot (Chinese: 广铁广段) |
SS9 China Railways SS9 The SS9 is a type of electric locomotive used on China Railways. They are mainly used in pulling sub-highspeed passenger trains.Developed and built by CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Works, the SS9 was designed for the fifth national railway speedup, and 2 prototypes were completed on December 26,... electric locomotive Guangzhou Railway Group Guangzhou Depot (Chinese: 广铁广段) or Beijing Railway Bureau Beijing Railway Bureau Beijing Railway Bureau is a regional railway bureau under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Railway of the People's Republic of China. It supervises the railway network within Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Provinces. The Beijing Railway Bureau also operates and supervises the expansion of the Beijing... Beijing Depot (Chinese: 京局京段) |
Ticketing
At the moment, the online ticket ordering system is slow, and only available to Hong Kong residents. 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 in Hong Kong at MTR (Mass Transit Railway) Service Centres, or at the Hung Hom Station. Southbound tickets from Beijing to Hong Kong must be purchased in Beijing, and can be ordered from Travel Agencies or at the Beijing West station.Timetable
| T97 | Stops | T98 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arrive | Depart | Arrive | Depart | |
| — | 13:08 | Beijing West Beijing west railway station Beijing West Railway Station, also known as Beijing West or West Passenger 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 Asia with 510,000m². The station serves in average 150,000–180,000... |
14:51 | — |
| 18:40 | 18:44 | Zhengzhou | 09:15 | 09:18 |
| 23:16 | 23:33 | Wuchang Wuchang Railway Station Wuchang Railway Station, located at the east side of Zhongshan Road in Wuchang District, Wuhan, Hubei, China is a major railway station administrated by the Wuhan Railway Bureau under the Ministry of Railways.... |
04:30 | 04:42 |
| 03:00 | 03:06 | Changsha | 01:07 | 01:13 |
| 10:10 | 11:03 | Guangzhou East Guangzhou East railway station Guangzhou East Railway Station serves the city of Guangzhou, China. It is located in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China.... |
17:09 | 18:05 |
| 12:56 | — | Hung Hom | — | 15:15 |