Beijing–Kowloon through train

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Direction Board of Z97/98
Beijing–Kowloon through train, hauled by a SS8 electric locomotive, passing through Kowloon Tong station in Hong Kong

The Beijing–Kowloon through train (Chinese: 京九直通车; pinyin: jīng jiǔ zhítōng chē) is an intercity railway service between Hung Hom station (formerly Kowloon station until 1998) in Hong Kong and the Beijing West railway station, jointly operated by the MTR of Hong Kong and China Railway, China's national rail service. The train runs to Beijing and Hong Kong every other day. Services use the East Rail line in Hong Kong, cross the boundary between Hong Kong and mainland China at Lo Wu and then continue along China's railway network via the Guangshen railway and the Jingguang railway to Beijing. Total journey time is approximately 23 hours, and the train uses .

From 28 December 2017, travelers of selected nationalities are able to utilize the 144-hour transit when traveling on this line to or from Beijing, providing that they clear immigration in Beijing.[1]

Carriages[]

The train operates in two parts, where 11 carriages depart Hong Kong (travelling under number T97B from Beijing and T98B from Hong Kong) with an additional 8 carriages added at Guangzhou East railway station (using number Z97A/Z98A), totalling 19 carriages. Along the route, trains stop at Changsha, Wuhan and Zhengzhou, though only passengers travelling from Guangzhou may disembark due to customs and immigration reasons.

The Hong Kong to Beijing section of the train is divided into three distinct classes – hard sleeper, soft sleeper and luxury soft sleeper (catering only to two persons, with better furnishing and private lavatories). The Guangzhou to Beijing section of the train only have hard sleepers and hard seats.

Dining services are provided by the Guangshen Railway Company. Passengers may choose to buy from carts which are pushed throughout the train at different intervals, or choose to dine in the dining car. The dining car provides a selection of light refreshments, along with two sets of menus (one for breakfast, and one for lunch/dinner) providing a range of cooked, a la carte dishes.

Carriage number 1 2 3–5 6–9 10 11 12–15 16–17 18 19
Type of carriages XL25T
Baggage van
(Chinese:
行李车)
YW25T
Hard sleeper
(Chinese:
硬卧车)
YW25T
Hard Sleeper
(Chinese:
硬卧车)
RW25T
Soft sleeper
(Chinese:
软卧车)
RW19T
Luxury Soft Sleeper
(Chinese:
高级包厢软卧车)
CA25T
Dining car
(Chinese:
餐车)
YW25T
Hard Sleeper
YZ25T
Hard seat
(Chinese:
硬座车)
YW25T
Hard Sleeper
UZ25T

(Chinese:
邮政车)
Notes Carriages No. 1–11 go to Hong Kong (Z97B/98B) Carriages No.12-19 only serve passengers taking Z97A/98A

Locomotives[]

The train changes locomotives once on the way.

Sections Kowloon-Guangzhou East Guangzhou East-Wuchang-Beijing West
Locomotives and their allocation SS8 electric locomotive
Guangzhou Railway Group Guangzhou Depot
(Chinese: 广铁广段)
SS9 electric locomotive
Guangzhou Railway Group Guangzhou Depot (Chinese: 广铁广段) or
Beijing Railway Bureau Beijing Depot (Chinese: 京局京段)

Operation[]

On the ticket availability board in Beijing West railway station, the Beijing–Kowloon through train is numbered as P97 to distinguish it from the train going to Guangzhou East.

Ticketing[]

Beijing-bound passengers from Hong Kong may order tickets from an online reservation system operated by the MTR Corporation. The system is limited to the one-way, Hong Kong to Beijing trips only.[2] Ordering of tickets requires extensive registration, including a credit card number, and tickets can only be delivered in the Hong Kong SAR, which makes it impossible for most non-HK resident customers to order. Travellers for Beijing may purchase Northbound tickets at a dedicated counter at Hung Hom station, whilst Southbound tickets from Beijing to Hong Kong can only be purchased in Beijing or from travel agencies.

Service[]

Passengers departing from or arriving at Hong Kong can embark or disembark from platforms 5 or 6 of Hung Hom Station, which is restricted to intercity operations. Prior to boarding, passengers must go through Hong Kong immigration counters and cannot exit the restricted area.

Check hall for Beijing–Kowloon through train at Beijing West railway station.
The platform area for the Kowloon section of train Z97 in Beijing West railway station is temporarily designated as boundary restricted area and guarded by police before departure.

Trains use platform 1 of Beijing West railway station, which is connected to the check hall for this particular through train service. Passengers coming from or going to Hong Kong clear Chinese immigration and customs in the hall. The part of the platform between the hall and the passenger cars for Hong Kong is cordoned off by police.

Trains operate from either terminating stations on an alternate schedule, under the following timetable:[3]

Effective from 15 May 2016
Z97 Stops Z98
Arrive Depart Arrive Depart
12:40 Beijing West 15:30
18:25 18:31 Zhengzhou 09:37 09:44
23:05 23:11 Wuchang 04:56 05:02
02:26 02:32 Changsha 01:29 01:35
10:01 11:04 Guangzhou East 17:16 18:06
13:01 Hung Hom 15:15

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Explanations of 144-hour Transit Policy for Nationals of Certain Countries". Chinese Ministry of Public Security. Archived from the original on 31 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  2. ^ MTR ticketing information (Note 1 under "Beijing–Kowloon through train")
  3. ^ Official timetable

External links[]

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