Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station

Station name and what to look for

Match the Chinese characters on your ticket to the characters above. English translations of Chinese station names vary between booking sites, but the Chinese name is the same everywhere.

About the station

Shanghai Hongqiao is the main high-speed station and sits in the same complex as Hongqiao airport, which makes it the easiest flight-to-train connection in China. Trains to Beijing, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Suzhou and most of the eastern network leave from here.

The station is enormous and integrated with the airport terminals and metro lines 2, 10 and 17. The integration is convenient but the distances inside the complex are very long.

Shanghai also has the older Shanghai station, which handles conventional services, and Shanghai South. Hongqiao is the one for high-speed.

Getting to and from Shanghai

Metro Line 2 and Line 10 connect the station to the city centre; Line 2 is the direct link to People’s Square and the Bund area, though it is a long ride.

The airport terminals are a covered walk away, which is the main advantage of this station over Shanghai station.

What catches travellers out here

• Hongqiao station and Hongqiao airport are in the same complex but the walking distances are long. Do not schedule a tight connection.
• Shanghai station (上海站) and Shanghai Hongqiao (上海虹桥) are completely different places. Many booking sites render both as "Shanghai", so check the Chinese name.

Before you travel

Tickets are issued against your passport and there is no paper ticket to collect for most domestic services. Read the booking guide if this is your first Chinese train, or the seat class guide if you are choosing between a hard sleeper and a soft sleeper. For the station itself, the general station guide explains how gates and boarding work at any Chinese station.

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