Riding China’s High-Speed Trains: Stations, Seats, Luggage and Food

The short version

China’s high-speed rail network is the biggest in the world, and riding it is easier than flying. If you have booked your ticket (see how to book train tickets in China), this is what the day looks like:

• Arrive 30 to 45 minutes early. Big stations are the size of airports.
• Your passport is your ticket. You scan it at the entrance, the ticket gate and the exit.
• Security is quick but every bag is X-rayed.
• Wait near your gate. Gates open 15 to 20 minutes before departure and close about 5 minutes before. The train leaves on the minute.
• Luggage: up to 20 kg per adult, with large bags on racks at the end of the car.
• Food: dining car, trolley, or order to your seat by QR code. Free hot water is in every car.
• Exit: scan your passport again at the destination station.

These times and rules were checked on 30 September 2026. Stations can change gate rules on busy holidays, so follow the screens and announcements on the day.

Step by step: from the station entrance to your seat

1. Go to the right station

Many cities have several railway stations, and high-speed trains often use a newer station outside the old center, such as Beijing South, Shanghai Hongqiao, Guangzhou South or Xi’an North. Check the station name on your booking. A taxi between two stations in the same city can take an hour.

Most big stations connect directly to the metro. See how to use the metro in China.

2. Scan your passport at the entrance

At the station doors, you pass an ID check. Chinese travelers use automatic gates with their ID cards. Foreigners usually use the staffed lane: hand over the passport you booked with, and staff check it against the booking. Some automatic gates now read passports; if one does not work, go to the staffed lane.

3. Go through security

All bags go through an X-ray machine and you walk through a scanner. It is faster than airport security:

• Liquids are allowed, including water, but staff may ask you to open a bottle.
• Banned: fireworks, flammable liquids, self-heating hot pot meals, knives with long blades and other dangerous goods.
• Power banks are fine on trains. The strict 3C rules apply to flights, not trains.

4. Find your gate

Look at the big departure screens. Find your train number (for example G7) and note the gate number (检票口, jiǎnpiào kǒu), such as 12A. Screens switch between Chinese and English.

Walk to the gate first, then relax nearby. Waiting halls have toilets, drinking water, convenience stores and fast food.

5. Board through the ticket gate

About 15 to 20 minutes before departure, the screen shows Boarding (正在检票) and the gates open.

• Scan your passport at an automatic gate, or show it at the staffed gate if the machine does not read it. That is normal for many foreign passports.
• Gates close about 5 minutes before departure (停止检票). Late passengers are not allowed through, even if the train is still at the platform.

6. Find your car and seat

Car numbers are painted on the platform floor or shown on signs. Stand near your car number, then check the number on the side of the train. Your booking shows the car (车厢, chēxiāng) and the seat, for example Car 05, 12F: row 12, seat F.

In second class, B is the middle seat of three. If you are traveling as a couple, choose D and F for two seats together without a stranger.

Which class should you book? Second class is comfortable for most trips of up to 4 or 5 hours. First class gives more legroom and a quieter car. Business class has lie-flat seats, snacks and, at some stations, a lounge. See train types, seat classes and prices for costs.

Luggage on high-speed trains

• Allowance: 20 kg per adult, 10 kg per child, free.
• Size: each item no more than 130 cm when you add length, width and height together. A standard 28-inch suitcase is fine.
• Where it goes: carry-on bags on the rack above your seat. Large suitcases go on the luggage racks at the end of each car or in the space behind the last row.
• No checked luggage on high-speed trains. You lift your own bags. There are no porters, but other passengers and staff often help.
• Travel light if you can. Station walks are long, and many stations have escalators rather than lifts. Mid-size suitcases are easier on the metro too.

Tip: board early to get space on the end-of-car rack. It fills fast on busy routes such as Beijing to Shanghai.

On board: what to expect

• Speed: trains with a G number run at up to 350 km/h on main lines. D trains are a little slower. The screen at the end of each car shows the speed and the next station.
• Toilets are at the ends of each car. Most trains have both Western and squat toilets.
• Power sockets: in second class they are usually between or under the seats, in first and business class at each seat. Chinese sockets take the flat two-pin and three-pin plugs. Bring a travel adapter.
• Wi-Fi: many newer Fuxing trains have free Wi-Fi, but logging in usually needs a Chinese mobile number. Use your eSIM or roaming data instead.
• Quiet car: some G trains have a quiet car (静音车厢, jìngyīn chēxiāng) you can choose on 12306. Keep phone calls short and use headphones anywhere on the train.
• No smoking anywhere, including the toilets and vestibules. It can set off the alarms, stop the train and lead to a fine.
• Announcements are in Chinese and English. Stops are short, often 2 to 5 minutes, so be at the door with your bags before your station.

Food and drinks on the train

Free hot water

Every car has a hot water dispenser near the toilets. Bring a cup or flask for tea, coffee or instant noodles.

Dining car and trolley

Most high-speed trains have a dining car (餐车, cānchē), often in the middle of the train, such as car 5 or car 9. Staff also push a trolley through the train selling boxed meals, snacks, fruit and drinks.

• Boxed meals usually cost about RMB 15 to 65.
• Pay with Alipay, WeChat Pay or cash. Keep some small notes as a backup.
• Meals are simple: rice with a meat or vegetable dish, noodles and buns. Vegetarian choices are limited. See vegetarian, halal and allergy-safe food in China.

Order to your seat by QR code

On many trains, a QR code on your seat back or tray table opens the train’s own menu. Scan it with Alipay or WeChat, choose food, pay, and staff bring it to your seat. The menu is mostly in Chinese, so use your phone’s camera translation. If the app says something is sold out, ask the trolley staff: they often still have it.

Order station takeout (Chinese app only)

The Chinese version of the China Railway 12306 app has a food service (餐饮·特产, cānyǐn tèchǎn). You enter your train, pick a big station on your route, and order from restaurants there, including fast food chains and local specialties. Staff bring it to your seat when the train stops.

• Order at least 1 to 2 hours before the train reaches that station.
• Do not get off to collect it. The train stops only for minutes.
• The 12306 English website lists only ticket services, so most foreign visitors skip this and eat from the dining car or bring their own food.

Bring your own food

Many Chinese travelers bring food from home or buy it before the gates. Shops outside the station, or in the metro level below, are cheaper than those near the gates.

• Good choices: sandwiches, buns, fruit, snacks, sealed cooked meat and instant noodles.
• Avoid strong-smelling food such as durian or river snail noodles in a closed carriage.
• Self-heating hot pots are banned on trains.

For ordering food in restaurants and on delivery apps, see how to order food in China.

Arriving: how to exit the station

1. Follow the Exit signs (出站口, chūzhàn kǒu). Big stations have exits on several sides and levels.
2. Scan your passport at the exit gate, or use the staffed gate.
3. Continue your journey:
   • Metro: follow the metro signs. Many high-speed stations have a direct connection.
   • Taxi: follow the signs to the official taxi rank (出租车, chūzūchē). Ignore drivers who approach you inside the station.
   • DiDi: go to the marked ride-hailing pickup area (网约车). See how to get a taxi in China.

Common problems and fixes

Need help with trains?

Booking the right train, station and seat is the hard part. Our train ticket booking service books tickets in your passport name, and our free trip planning service can build a route that combines high-speed trains with flights where they make sense.