China · High-speed
High-speed trains run between Shanghai Hongqiao and Hangzhou East throughout the day, via Jiaxing South.
Shanghai → Hangzhou
High-speed
Why this connection
West Lake is the classic short escape from Shanghai, and this is the line that makes it trivial: turn up at Hongqiao, take the next train, and be walking beside the lake within the hour and a bit.
In motion
It is also the most useful demonstration of Chinese high-speed rail for a first-time visitor; short, cheap, constant, and entirely ordinary to the people using it.
The corridor
Trains run south-west from Shanghai Hongqiao across the Yangtze delta through Jiaxing South to Hangzhou East.
Shanghai to Hangzhou
Key stops
Shanghai Hongqiao Railway StationJiaxing South Railway StationHangzhou East Railway Station
Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station
China
Jiaxing South Railway Station
China
Hangzhou East Railway Station
China
High-speed / intercity
01
Luggage space: National carry-on baggage limits (130cm item size, 20kg weight) apply to EMU trains on this route. Food service: Catering form depends on the specific EMU train; boxed-meal cart service is typical rather than a staffed dining car.
02
High-speed trains run between Shanghai Hongqiao and Hangzhou East throughout the day, via Jiaxing South. The line opened in 2010 and services are frequent enough to be used without planning.
03
Reservation: required. Direct online booking is recorded. Recommended lead time: 14 days. Pricing is recorded as dynamic. Strongest recorded months: January, February, March. All Chinese rail tickets are sold as reserved seats through 12306 or authorised agents, and require passport details. Popular services sell out days ahead in holiday periods.
Verified 2026-09-28
Plan the ride
Use the verified journey, booking, season and onboard facts below to decide how to take this experience. Unknowns stay explicit.
This guide does not imply a product variant unless a separate comparison decision is published.
Evidence on demand
Route, onboard, season, fit and booking detail remain available without interrupting the journey above. Unknowns stay visible.
45m
Trains run south-west from Shanghai Hongqiao across the Yangtze delta through Jiaxing South to Hangzhou East.
Trains run south-west from Shanghai Hongqiao across the Yangtze delta through Jiaxing South to Hangzhou East.
Shanghai to Hangzhou
Key stops
Shanghai Hongqiao Railway StationJiaxing South Railway StationHangzhou East Railway Station
Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station
China
Jiaxing South Railway Station
China
Hangzhou East Railway Station
China
It is a modern high-speed service, which makes the journey feel less like an expedition and more like the country being handed to you in fast-forward. It is a short hop between Shanghai and Hangzhou, so the interest is concentrated rather than spread out, there is little dead time either side of the best stretches. Passing Jiaxing South Railway Station gives the journey its midpoint, and the character either side of it is noticeably different. There are few intermediate calls, so the run feels continuous once it is underway.
Café / food service
Catering form depends on the specific EMU train; boxed-meal cart service is typical rather than a staffed dining car.
Luggage storage
National carry-on baggage limits (130cm item size, 20kg weight) apply to EMU trains on this route.
2 onboard details are confirmed against a source. Anything not listed here has not been researched yet; treat it as unknown, not absent.
Jan: Scheduled year-round as a regular timetabled service.
First-time rail travellers
Especially good
A frequent, clearly signed and reservable service between major cities, easy to use on a first visit.
Solo travellers
Especially good
Assigned seating and regular departures make this straightforward to travel alone.
Rail enthusiasts
Good fit
A mainline high-speed corridor worth travelling for the railway itself.
Families
Good fit
Short, level and predictable, with luggage space and station facilities at both ends.
Older travellers
Step-free access at major stations and a smooth ride with reserved seating.
You cannot just turn up
A reservation is required for this journey.
Our current editorial assessment, for comparing journeys, a considered judgement, not a measurement.
More subjective
Not rated yet: value for money, seat quality, onboard service, slow travel quality, romance, remoteness.
Step-free access and assistance are set out with the practical detail further down rather than reduced to a score.
Prices quoted No fixed published fare recorded. Tickets are sold at operator-set fares that vary by date, service and class; check the operator for the price on your travel date.
Not yet verified: rail pass validity. We leave these blank rather than guess.
We link to the operator's own journey page. No direct booking channel has been verified for this service, so availability and fares must be checked there. Journey length: 45m. Checked 27 Oct 2026 · China Railway 12306.
The detailed source record remains at the end of this guide. Review the evidence.
Your next step
All Chinese rail tickets are sold as reserved seats through 12306 or authorised agents, and require passport details. Popular services sell out days ahead in holiday periods.
Official journey information, China State Railway Group (China Railway) (opens in a new tab)We link to the operator's own journey page. No direct booking channel has been verified for this service, so availability and fares must be checked there.
Far by Rail is a discovery guide, not a live timetable or booking service. Confirm times, fares and availability with the operator.
Continue exploring
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Photo: MNXANL / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Photo: N509FZ · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Train Z164 leaves Shanghai in the evening and reaches Lhasa forty-five hours later, covering 4,372 kilometres via Nanjing, Zhengzhou, Xi'an, Xining and Golmud. It is the longest single passenger run in China. Beyond Xining the train joins the Qinghai–Tibet railway, where the carriages are supplied with extra oxygen for the climb over the Tanggula pass, the highest point on any railway in the world.
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AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas
Journey information is reviewed against published material and maintained as sources change.
Last reviewed 27 Oct 2026.
Official sources
Checked 27 Oct 2026
Checked 27 Oct 2026
Checked 27 Oct 2026
Checked 11 Sep 2026