Xian Train

Being regarded as the “Gateway to the West”, Xian plays a significant role in the Chinese railway system. It is a city where six of China's main railway lines intersect, thus the city is linked with all of China’s provincial capital cities and four municipalities, for instance, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Haikou, Tibet, etc. Apart from the capital cities, visitors can easily find trains for many tourist cities such as Guilin, Dunhuang, Luoyang, Suzhou, Qingdao, Huashan, etc.

Travel Time to Major Cities from Xi'an (approximation)

Destination	Normal Trains		Bullet Trains
Beijing	11.5-16h		4.5-6h
Shanghai	11.5-24.5h		6-7.5h
Guangzhou	22.5-29h		8-9h
Shenzhen	29.5-34h		9.5h
Taiyuan	8.5-12h		3-4h
Zhengzhou	6-10h		2-4h
Guilin	26.5h		9.5h
Lanzhou	7-12h		3h
Chengdu	3-4h		11h

 More Xian Train Schedule

Tips: Taking the traveling time into consideration, the bullet types are always the best choice. However, when you buy tickets between Xian and Beijing or Shanghai, some overnight sleeper ones are favorable for they save time and also the expense on hotels, for example, Beijing - Xian, Z20/44, T42/56/8, T232 and Xian – Shanghai, K362, Z378/94/166/42/254218/306, K558/2188, and T118. It is reminded to book these popular tickets as early as possible; otherwise, it is hard to get the most suitable sleeper tickets.

Major Rail Lines from Xian to:

 Situated in the city proper, it is presently the city's busiest transportation hub. In total, over 200 rail services, including T, K, Z and other kinds pass through this station daily. The major destinations include Shanghai, Pingyao, Datong and Luoyang. The overnight sleeper trains to Beijing as well as the overnight sleepers to Shanghai are also operated here. As the station sits close to the Xian Bus Station, passengers can transfer to long-distance bus stations here. Besides, outside the station, local public buses and tourist buses are available. 

Xian North Railway Station

It only operates over 200 pairs of bullet trains daily, including those to/from Beijing, Datong, Pingyao, Luoyang, Zhengzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shanghai, Guangzhou,  Shenzhen, and Yan'an, etc. Metro Line 2, Line 4 and Line 14 can take you to the station from the city center or Xi'an Xianyang International Airport.

 Transportation between Railway Station and North Station
1. Passengers can take Line 4 to travel between Xi’an Railway Station and Xi’an North Railway Station. It only takes 40 minutes and CNY4.   
2. Bus Line 266 runs between the two stations. Passengers can find the bus stop at Railway Station West (walk west from the Exit for about 270 yards (250m) and South Square of North Railway Station. It takes about 1 hour 20 minutes and costs CNY2. The bus runs every 10 to 20 minutes from 06:00 to 23:30 daily. 
3. Taxies are also available. Passengers can find taxi stands near the exit of railway stations. It takes about 30 minutes and costs CNY 50 to reach the north station.

 

Lift to the Train Platform

The former Xi'an South Railway Station was renamed as Yinzhen Railway Station on February 28th, 2023. With three platforms, the station mainly operates normal trains to/from Ankang, Baoji, Wuchang, Chengdu, Kunshan and Hohhot. The under-planning new Xi’an South Railway Station is located Xi’an High-tech Industries Development Zone and will be the central hub station of Xi’an Chongqing High-speed Railway, Xi’an-Wuhan High-speed Railway, Xi’an-Changsha High-speed Railway and Xi’an-Chengdu High-speed Railway.
 The East Railway Station, scheduled to be put into operation in June, 2026, is a giant transportation hub with the high-speed rail station, subway station and coach station within one station building. Its operation will obviously shorten the duration to many crucial cities like Wuhan, Chongqing, Chengdu, Kunming, Guangzhou ... 

 Further Reading: How to Collect a Ticket, Xian-Beijing Train vs. Flight