Scared of flying? Or perhaps you might just fancy seeing the scenery along the way? For taking a train from our chunk of eastern China all the way to Hong Kong has recently become quite a talking point. With good reason. And Nanjing has a bit part in the action.
The news that quickly became a Shanghai sensation was the announcement that trains would resume running from Hongqiao to Kowloon, after their COVID-induced hiatus, on 1 April.
Now, it’s our very own Nanjing and Jiangsu as a whole receiving the same hype. For us Nanjingers, however, our service to HongKong necessitates getting off at a stop along the way for a change of train.
But nevertheless, from Nanjing South, including the quick change in Guangzhou, it’s only 8 hours and 27 minutes, all in, to Hong Kong. That’s only partially longer than it takes to fly. Were your flight to be delayed, as they usually are, it’s six and half a dozen. The price is about the same too.
The way to do it is by taking the G637 high-speed, Fuxing-class, train, out of Nanjing South Railway Station, along the way getting a glimpse at the now infamous Wuhan.
Departing at 07:25, the G637 stops at Quanjiao, Hefei South, Lu’an and Jinzhai in Anhui Province; Macheng North and Wuhan in Hubei Province; Yueyang East, Changsha South and Chenzhou in Hunan Province; and Shaoguan in Guangdong Province.
Arriving in Guangzhou South at 14:36, passengers for Hong Kong then have a quick transfer to the G6531, departing at 15:00 and making only one stop at Shenzhen North, before arriving into Kowloon West at 15:52.
Looking to price, a second class seat for this journey goes for ¥875.50, essentially equivalent to an economy-class air ticket out of Nanjing’s Lukou to Hong Kong. Meanwhile, first class on the train will set you back ¥1,452.50 and business class a whopping $2,856.50.
For passengers coming the other way, the Yangtze Evening News reports that the China Railway online booking system and app, 12306, has also been optimised of late, to now support registrations using mobile phone numbers from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
