How to Collect China High Speed Train Tickets

Paper ticket currently is not a MUST for entering your train in most railway stations in China. You can directly use your passport to board your train. But in some station especially small stations, you still need to use the paper tickets because they may have no passport-reading machine. You can get your paper ticket at once if you book it at train stations, but if you book online, you have to collect your High Speed Train Ticket after booking. Due to the language barrier and habit differences, you may feel confused about how to collect your ticket in China. Don’t worry, your problems can be solved after read the below details.

Documents for You to Collect China Train Tickets

When to Collect China Train Tickets?

Once you have completed booking online, you can collect your tickets at the train station whenever you like. China Discovery highly recommends you to collect your tickets in advance.

If you Collect your Tickets on the Day of Departure, you’d better arrive at the train station about 2 hours in advance. You need to line up and wait for your turn to get tickets. It is worth noticing that lines to pick up tickets and for security check in the train station can be long, especially at peak travel times like Chinese holidays, summer and weekends. Ticket check for boarding will be closed 3~8 minutes prior to the departure time, so leave yourself enough time to catch your train.

Special Situation You Should Pay Attention To

● There is a special time limitation for collecting tickets booked via phone. If you phone the official before 12:00pm, you should collect before 12:00pm of 2nd day. If you phone the official after 12:00 am, you can collect your tickets before 24:00 of the 2nd day.

● If you are planning to travel China before or during Chinese public holidays like Chinese Spring Festival or the October National Day Holiday, you’d better collect your tickets ahead of time, like at least 2 hours before your train departure or more than one day in advance.

● If you are traveling on multiple trains, which mean you have lots of tickets to collect, you can collect them at your first travel train station so as to save time during your next High Speed Train travel.

Collect at Railway Station Ticket Window (火车站售票窗口)

Tickets can be collected at any working train stations in mainland China. If you book via phone, you have to collect your tickets at train station, no other selection available. No service fee is needed whether you collect it at your start station or other stations. For most large cities in China like Beijing and Shanghai have more than one train station, so you have to make sure your departure train station or else you may miss your train if you decide to pick up your tickets on the day that you depart. Actually, you can pick up your tickets at the closest train station in advance, which is recommended to do so especially at large cities or during Chinese holidays.

Most railway stations open 24 hours in a day, but there are a few ticket windows available after 11:00pm. While some small stations only opens during the daytime. Please pay attention to the operational period of the railway stations depend on the train schedules on the specific day and the size of the stations. It’d better to get your tickets during the business hour in the daytime.

Detailed Info & Suggestions to Collect your Tickets at Railway Station:

Automatic Ticket Machines in Train Station - Unavailable for Foreigners

For Chinese, they can collect their tickets at Automatic Ticket Machine, train stations and ticket outlets, while the Automatic Ticket Machine is the most frequently used. But due to ID card is the only available certificate to get a ticket from the equipment, you cannot get any help from that.

Collect at the Ticket Outlets (火车票代售点)

Warm Tip: If you haven’t book any China Train Tickets before, you cannot collect your tickets at the outlets and you have to go to the train station to make identity verification First.

If you have any other problems about how to collect your train tickets, feel free to contact our professional travel expert for help.

>>Check more about How to Book China High Speed Train Tickets

>>Check more about How to Read China High Speed Train Tickets

>>Check more about Alteration of China High Speed Train Tickets

>>Check more about China High Speed Train Ticket Cancellation - Documents, Policy & Charges