Through Trains
There are three inter-city train services between Hong Kong and China (often known as through trains): the Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou lines. One train is available daily from Zhaoqing via Foshan.
There are 12 through trains daily on the Guangzhou line for which ten northbound trains and ten southbound trains call at Dongguan. The journey time is about 1 hour and 50 minutes, and costs HK$145-$190 for a one-way ticket. The Guangzhou line is served by the high speed Ktt trains which are operated by the MTR and the semi-high speed trains which are run by the Guangshen Railroad company.
The Beijing and Shanghai services run on alternate days. A one-way trip to Beijing costs between HK$574-$1,191 depending on the type of cabin you choose, and takes about 23.5 hours. A one-way trip to Shanghai costs between HK$508-$1,039, and takes about 18.5 hours. Children under three travel for free and those aged 3-12 pay half price. Tickets for the inter-city trains can be bought online on the website of the through trains website.
For ticketing and more information:
http://www.it3.mtr.com.hk/b2c/frmIndex.asp?strLang=Eng
The Airport Express – The Direct Airport to City Link
In recent times, many travel writers have measured the livability of city in terms of ease of access from its airport to its city center. In these surveys, cities which have a direct rail link from the airport to the city center always come out ahead and Hong Kong is one such city which is equipped with this direct airport link in the form of its Airport Express train.
The Airport Express train is an over-ground and underground service that provides direct access between Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok International airport( HKIA) and the city center. This train, which is adequately equipped for storing passengers’ luggage, covers the 35.3km journey between the Airport and the city in a period of 24 minutes when other modes of transport take much longer. The Airport Express thus provides the fastest access to the airport from the center of the city. This train continues onwards from the Airport to the Asia-World Expo Center.
The Airport Express serves five main stations during its journey to and from the airport. These five stations and the respective journey times are as follows:
| Station | Journey Time (Mins) |
| Hong Kong – Airport | 24 |
| Kowloon – Airport | 22 |
| Tsing Yi – Airport | 14 |
| Hong Kong – AsiaWorld-Expo | 28 |
| Kowloon – AsiaWorld-Expo | 25 |
| Tsing Yi – AsiaWorld-Expo | 18 |
| Airport – AsiaWorld-Expo | 2 |
The Airport Express runs every 12 minutes from 05:50 to 01:15. Tickets for the Airport Express can be booked online or bought at station kiosks.
This direct-to-the-airport link also offers free downtown check-in services for various flights at its Kowloon and Hong Kong Stations, allowing passengers to check in from 90-minutes to a day in advance. A single round trip journey on the Airport Express which is valid for thirty days from its first use costs $220 ($50 of which is refundable on returning the ticket) per head. The Airport Express tickets are available in various combinations both at the stations and online at its website.
More information about the various fares and tickets can be found at:
http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/getting_around/timetable_index.html
Tickets for both the long distance trains and Airport Express have to be purchased in advance and cannot be bought on board.
