Tips for travelling by High Speed Rail during winter peak season

Smart tips for holiday travel on High Speed Rail

Winter holidays are a peak travel period. If you’re planning to take the High Speed Rail to the Mainland, here are some smart tips to help ensure a seamless journey.

Tips for ticket purchase

✅ Tickets for departures within 15 days are available.

✅ The most convenient way to buy a ticket is by using 12306 website or mobile app. You can simply create an account with Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Permanent Residents (including Non-Chinese Citizens) and mobile phone number. Without going to the station in person, you can enjoy one-stop services of ticket purchase, alteration and refund. Click here to learn more.

✅ You can also buy ticket from designated Ticket Agents. Click here to view the agent list.

✅ If you buy ticket via Ticket Machine at station, please bring along original travel document of all passengers. The Machines at West Kowloon Station only accept e-Payments (for example, contactless credit cards, WeChat Pay and Alipay).

✅ A child aged below 6 may travel free, provided that he/she does not occupy an additional seat. His/her identification document must be registered upon ticket purchase. Each adult passenger can register a child for free travel.

Tips for train boarding

✅ Passengers are required to use the identification document that used to buy the ticket for boarding procedures.

✅ Passengers may proceed for real-name checking, security check, immigration and boarding procedures as early as 120 minutes prior to train departure. Normally, these procedures can be completed in around 30 - 45 minutes. Passengers traveling on the last departure train, during weekends, public holidays, festive seasons, or summer breaks, as well as those using traditional immigration counters, holding passports, or applying for a visa on arrival, should allow extra time for processing.

✅ Please use the Self-service Gate or the Staff Assistance Counter in the Ticketing Concourse (Level B1) of West Kowloon Station to complete real-name checking and ticket verification. The relevant procedures will cease 30 minutes prior to train departure.

✅ Passengers with accompanied child should use Staff Assistance Counter for the real-name checking and ticket verification.

✅ The gates at the Departure Concourse (Level B3) will open 15 minutes before departure time and close in the last 5 minutes. Plan your time wisely, and you can board the train without hassle.

Friendly reminders:

💡 Passengers travelling between West Kowloon Station and Futian or Shenzhenbei Station can make extra three last-minute changes to their train trips on the day of travel through the Same-day Flexi-trip Arrangement, in addition to the General Ticket Alteration. Click here to learn more.