Beijing–Kowloon through train
The Beijing–Kowloon through train is an intercity railway service between Hung Hom Station 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 25T class train carriages.
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.
Carriages
The train operates in two parts, where 11 carriages depart Hong Kong with an additional 8 carriages added at Guangzhou East railway station, 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. 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 providing a range of cooked, a la carte dishes.
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 | SS9 electric locomotive Guangzhou Railway Group Guangzhou Depot or Beijing Railway Bureau Beijing Depot |
Operation
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. 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.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: