Shenzhen train - Shenzhen Transport - Start in China from Shenzhen

Shenzhen train

The main trainstation of Shenzhen (called Shenzhen Railway Station) is in Luohu district near the border with Hong Kong. It has regular services to Guangzhou and long-distance trains to Beijing, Shanghai, Jiujiang, Maoming, Shantou and other destinations. Also to Hong Kong there are several trains leaving at the crossing near Luo Wu. It takes about 40 minutes by train to the center of Hong Kong and the price is about 37HK$. The trainstation has only six lines and is extremely crowded at peak times such as Chinese New Year.

You can take the metro to Luohu (end of line 1 / LuoBao). Then you exit the metro station (exit D) and you will easily see the train station and the ticket counters.

The second railway station (Shenzhen Xi) is in Nanshan District and is mainly used for a smaller number of long-distance routes.

Passport required to buy train ticket

update july 2011:

From June 1 2011 passengers have to show their ID-card (Chinese) or passport (foreigners) in order to buy tickets for high-speed trains in China. You just tell the operator where you want to go and also give your passport. They will then type your name + passport ID and it will be printed on the ticket. This train ticket also contains a QR-code which stores your personal information. So better not to throw away your ticket, because someone might steal your personal information that way.

Important: after you arrive, you should not throw away your train ticket. In Guangzhou you need to use your train ticket in the train station.

example of an old train ticket
leaves at 2007-09-10 10:16
carriage 03 and seat 001
train number D793 from Guangzhou to Shenzhen

train_ticket_gz_sz

my trainticket from Guangzhou (East) to Shenzhen
train leaves 2011-07-22 at 17:04
carriage 7 seat 17
price: 80 RMB (normal class)
I removed some of my personal information as well as the QR code

Travel from Shenzhen to Guangzhou by train

take the metro to Luohu (end of line 1)
take exit D at Luohu metro station, exit the metro station, pass through the security check and walk to the ticket windows (there are many)
a ticket to Guangzhou East Station will cost 80 RMB for normal class or 100 RMB for first class. You need your passport
they will book a ticket in the first available train by default
your ticket prints the time of departure, train number, carriage number and seat number
wait in the departure hall till your train is about to leave (shown on big screens) They will only open the platform when the train has arrived, so a few minutes before you need to leave.
find your carriage and seat, the journey takes about 1 hour
in Guangzhou exit the trainstation and walk out and you will see the metro
Buy a metro ticket in one of the machines and take the metro
If you want to go to the Dutch Consulate, it is 2 stops with line 1 to TiYuXiLy (体育西路) for TeeMall (2RMB)

Photos

Waiting in queue to buy traintickets
inside_train_gz_sz

Inside the train with airco. In the middle some seats are facing eachother
highspeed_train_gz_sz

Another highspeed train

New train station

Shenzhen government announced in 2008 that Shenzhen will build a new 4.3- billion-yuan (US$632-million) railway station in Longhua (Bao’an District) within three years. The railway station, which will be called Shenzhen North Railway Station, will be the largest railway station in Shenzhen when it is completed in August 2011. According to the plan, the station will have 11 platforms and 20 lines, mainly Shenzhen-Guangzhou and other inter-city express lines. The station is expected to cut the journey between Longhua and western Kowloon in Hong Kong to 16 minutes. The journey between Longhua and Guangzhou, meanwhile, will be cut to 25 minutes.

tip: Train Schedule Search