China State Railway Group (China Railway) announced today (June 4) that starting June 15, the existing direct trains Z97/98 and Z99/100 between Beijing West Railway Station, Shanghai, and Hong Kong Hung Hom Station will be upgraded to overnight high-speed sleeper trains D909/910 and D907/908, operating between Beijing West Railway Station, Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, and Hong Kong West Kowloon Station.
The total travel time from Beijing and Shanghai to Hong Kong will be reduced from 24 hours 31 minutes and 19 hours 34 minutes to 12 hours 34 minutes and 11 hours 14 minutes, respectively, allowing passengers to travel overnight and arrive by morning. This upgrade aims to facilitate more accessible travel between Hong Kong and mainland China.
According to China Railway, with the support of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Central Committee, it has closely cooperated with Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway (MTR) department to optimize high-speed rail routes and resources.
In addition to the existing daytime high-speed trains, they have carefully designed an upgrade plan to introduce an additional pair of overnight high-speed sleeper trains on the Beijing-Hong Kong and Shanghai-Hong Kong routes, according to China Railway.
The overnight high-speed sleeper trains from Beijing West Railway Station to Hong Kong West Kowloon Station will travel via the Beijing-Guangzhou and Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed rail routes. Train D909 will depart from Beijing at 8:13 PM and arrive in Hong Kong at 8:47 AM the next day. Train D910 will depart from Hong Kong at 6:24 PM and arrive in Beijing at 6:53 AM the next day.
The overnight high-speed trains from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station to Hong Kong West Kowloon Station will travel via the Shanghai-Hangzhou, Hangzhou-Shenzhen, and Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed rail routes. Train D907 will depart from Shanghai at 8:15 PM and arrive in Hong Kong at 7:29 AM the next day. Train D908 will depart from Hong Kong at 7:49 PM and arrive at Shanghai at 6:45 AM the next day.
The upgrade to regular high-speed trains includes several key improvements. Firstly, the trains will consist of two second-class carriages, 13 sleeper carriages, and one dining car, providing a more comfortable travel experience with advanced facilities and increasing cross-boundary seating capacity to over 600 seats per train, significantly more than the previous trains. Also, the reduction in travelling time allows for overnight travel, making it more convenient for passengers.
Additionally, the previous arrangement on customs will be replaced by a co-location arrangement at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station. This change aims to make boundary-crossing procedure more efficient and convenient for travelers.
Furthermore, passengers can now depart from or arrive at multiple places along the routes, including Shijiazhuang, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, etc., expanding travel options and making cross-boundary travel more convenient.
The schedule has also been optimized, replacing the previous alternating day schedule with a four-day-per-week schedule (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday), increasing the weekly service from 14 to 16 trains. This provides more weekend travel options, catering to passengers’ needs for weekend cross-border trips.
China Railway reminds passengers that tickets for the Beijing-Hong Kong and Shanghai-Hong Kong overnight high-speed sleeper trains will be available for purchase starting at noon on June 5.
Passengers can purchase tickets through the 12306 website (including the app), station ticket windows, and automatic ticket machines. They will go through a co-location arrangement at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station. The rules for ticket refunds and changes will remain the same as thos
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