Under the new pricing structure, the highest second class ticket price of high speed trains running between Beijing and Shanghai will increase to about CNY 807.6 from the current CNY 673, while the execution price, aka, how much passengers need to pay in practice, will fluctuate with discounts as usual, depending on the departure time, running speed, and duration of distinctive trains.

In other words, only those bullet trains operating in peak hours and with a shorter running time are likely to adopt the ceiling price; the others, on the task of dispersing passenger flow, are slightly affected, and even become cheaper because of greater discounts, offering lower-cost options for those with flexible schedules.

Passengers who prioritize price are advised to avoid peak flow periods for commuters and tourists between the two cities, that is, mornings and evenings on weekdays, Friday afternoons, and Sunday evenings.

It starts from April 29 and ends on May 6. During the 8-day peak season, China's railway system is expected to transport 158 million passengers with approximately 12,000 trains scheduled daily. The peak passenger volume, estimated at 24.5 million, will appear on May 1. Beijing, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, etc., serve as both hot departure cities and destinations.

Additional high speed trains have been arranged on popular lines; during the holiday, China Railway Corporation will also put more temporary trains into operation based on real-time passenger flow.

Therefore, if you fail to get a ticket before, wait a day or two, and meanwhile, focus on our ticketing page. It's worth noting that tickets for added overnight bullet trains are released 5 - 7 days ahead of departure, rather than 15 days in advance like others. On the departure day, be at the railway station at least 1.5 hours before your train is due to leave, and always take care of your child.

Passengers traveling between Beijing - Xi'an by high speed train will need to pay CNY 489 - 618 for a second class ticket, which increases by 7% compared to the current CNY 456.5 - 577.5; the price of second class seat on Xi'an - Shanghai bullet trains will rise to CNY 750 - 887.5 from CNY 673 - 825. High speed trains running between Datong - Xi'an, Pingyao - Xi'an, Xi'an - Luoyang, Xi'an - Huashan, Lanzhou - Xi'an, Xi'an - Zhengzhou, Tianjin - Qinhuangdao, Shijiazhuang - Taiyuan, Shenyang - Dalian, etc., will also cost 10% - 20% more than present.

It's worth noting that this increase is the result of dynamic pricing policy. During the off-seasons, China Railway Cooperation accordingly offers discounts on train tickets, usually 10 - 20% off and 60% off at most.

The Beijing - Pyongyang trains will run every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday: train K27/52 will depart from Beijing Railway Station at 17:26 and arrive at Pyongyang Railway Station at 18:07 the next day; train 51/K28, running in the opposite direction, will leave Pyongyang at 10:26 and reach Beijing at 8:40 the next day. Passengers need to handle entry and exit procedures at Dandong and Sinuiju, the border cities of China and North Korea, respectively.

The Dandong - Pyongyang international trains 95/52 and 51/85 will serve on a daily basis. Timetable: 10:00 - 18:07 from Dandong to Pyongyang, 10:26 - 16:23 from Pyongyang to Dandong.

Note: All time based on local time.

Xi'an East Railway Station will be equipped with 13 platforms with 27 railway tracks. Now, the station is undergoing decoration work.

Simultaneously, Xi'an - Shiyan High Speed Railway and Xi'an - Ankang High Speed Railway will be put into use. With the operation of all the mentioned, the travel time from Xi'an to Wuhan will be halved from 5 hours to 2.5 hours; it will only take around 1 hour to shuttle between Xi'an and Shiyan, where Wudang Mountain is located; and passengers traveling from Xi'an to Chongqing will only need to spend 3 hours on board instead of the current 5 hours.

And it will end on March 13, with February 13 and 23 as busiest days. During the 40-day travel rush, China trains are expected to serve 539 million passengers in total, a year-on-year increase of 5%.

Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou will see the largest flow before Chinese New Year holiday from February 15 to 22, after which passengers concentrate in Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanchang, etc. The busiest train routes include Xi'an to Chengdu/Taiyuan, Dalian to Harbin, and Qingdao to Shanghai.

For tourists planning a China railway trip during this period, it's wise to avoid the hottest destinations and routes above. Meanwhile, book train tickets as soon as they are released, and get to the departure station at least 2 hours in advance for boarding procedures.

The schedule is to be adopted in the first quarter of 2026, according to which 12,130 trains in total will run on China's railway network. Main adjustments are as follows:

1. Yan'an will be connected with the capital city of Beijing by high speed train for the first time. The shortest travel time is only 5h42m, reducing by 4h37m from the normal trains running now. Similarly, passengers shuttling between Fuzhou/ Xiamen - Zhuhai can take direct bullet trains for a more efficient trip.

2. Between Shanghai and Hong Kong, the overnight high speed sleeper trains that originally operated on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays will serve daily. What's more, two additional Shanghai - HK bullet trains will run in the daytime, with stops at Nanjing South, Hefei South, Wuxi East, etc. Since then, passengers will be able to transfer between Hong Kong West Kowloon Railway Station and 110 railway stations in Chinese Mainland by bullet train.

3. Four high speed G trains will be added between Changbaishan and Beijing Chaoyang, and 14 more will stop at Yabuli West.

4. It will take 9h37m to travel from Shanghai Hongqiao to Lanzhou West by bullet train, 57 minutes shorter than those operating at present, and 8h51m from Datong South to Shanghai Hongqiao, 2h33m shorter.

At the end of December 2025, five new high speed rail lines were put into operation, linking Shantou - Shanwei, Guangzhou - Zhanjiang, Wuhan - Yichang, Hangzhou - Quzhou, and Xi'an - Yan'an. As of now, China's high speed railway network totals over 50,000 km (31,069 mi), ranking first in the world and surpassing the combined total of all other countries'. By now, more than 97% of China's cities with populations over 500,000 in their urban areas can be reached by high speed train.

Bullet trains along the new 5 lines have a top running speed of 350 km/h (217 mph). Therefore, it now only takes 1h52m from Guangzhou East to Shantou, 1h39m from Shenzhen to Shantou, and 1h32m from Guangzhou Baiyun to Zhanjiang North. The travel time between Wuhan and Yichang has also been significantly reduced from 2h to 1h9m. For passengers shuttling from Hangzhou West to Quzhou West, only 73 minutes are needed onboard. The shortest duration of bullet trains running from Xi'an North to Yan'an is 68 minutes, reducing by 1 hour from normal speed trains in operation.

In addition, 2 high speed rail lines: Hefei - Sixian and Beijing - Tangshan high speed railways will be put into service before the arrival of 2026.

The railway line has a total length of 519 kilometers (322 miles), with 13 stations midway. At the beginning, 12 high speed trains run along the railway daily, with a maximum speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). The travel time between Baotou and Yinchuan has been reduced from 5h52m to 2h38m.

Besides, with the operation of Baotou - Yinchuan high speed rail line, passengers only need to spend 4h3m to travel from Hohhot to Yinchuan and 7h27m from Hohhot to Lanzhou by bullet trains, which is cut by 3h54m and 2h59m, respectively.

Four pairs of high speed trains run at the early stage, shortening the travel time between Nanning, the capital city of Guangxi Autonomous Region, and Pingxiang, a border city between China and Vietnam, to 1h15m from over 4h by normal speed train. The main stops midway include Liuzhou, Guilin, Beihai, and Longzhou.

It means that passengers traveling between Nanning and Hanoi have more choices, other than the direct international trains T8701/ T8702. You can take a high speed train to get to Pingxiang from Nanning first, and then transfer to Friendship Pass by taxi, after passing the border check, take a car or bus to Hanoi directly.