Guangzhou–Hong Kong high-speed train explained

The Guangzhou–Hong Kong high-speed train are high-speed train services operating between in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, at which both the Station and Station are in use.

History

• On September 23, 2018, due to the opening of the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link, the originally Guangzhou-Shenzhen high-speed trains numbered G6501-G6558 were extended to serve Hong Kong West Kowloon station, becoming the "Guangzhou-Hong Kong high-speed trains".^[1] At the same time, the MTR Corporation's Vibrant Express also started operations, launching Guangzhou-Hong Kong high-speed trains numbered G6581-G6588。
• From July 10 2019, due to the adjustment of the national railway operation map, 4 Guangzhou-Hong Kong high-speed trains became the Tianjin-Hong Kong high-speed train, the Chongqing-Hong Kong high-speed train, Nanning-Hong Kong high-speed train and the Zhaoqing-Hong Kong high-speed train, reducing the number of direct trains to 2 round trips. In addition, trains G6508/13/14 were officially put into operation the next day due to the Chongqing-Hong Kong high-speed train needing to go back to the depot.^{[2] [3]}
• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, from January 30, 2020, services to and from Hong Kong West Kowloon station were temporarily suspended, resulting in Guangzhou-Hong Kong high-speed trains numbered G6515-6519, G6521-6525, G6533-6535, G6537, G6539/40 were shortened to Futian, while G6541/36 was shortened to Shenzhen North. Other trains were cancelled,^[4] with affected passengers receiving an unconditional refund.^[5]
• From January 15 2023, services between Hong Kong West Kowloon and Guangzhou South resumed and new services to Guangzhou East railway station were started (branded as "The new Guangzhoudong route",^[6] the "Guangzhou–Kowloon through train",^[7] and the "Guangzhou-Kowloon high-speed through train"^[8]), utilising China Railway CRH1A-A trains as power and it has intermediate stops at Dongguan South and Dongguan stations.^[9] The train would depart Hong Kong West Kowloon, then arrive at Shenzhen North, run on the Ganzhou–Shenzhen high-speed railway connecting line from 2021, then connecting to the Guangzhou-Shenzhen railway after Dongguan South station. The full-trip first-class and second-class ticket prices are the same as those for the train to Guangzhou South Station. On January 15, the Guangzhou-Kowloon Passenger Transport Section invited four generations of Guangzhou-Kowloon Through Train crew members to board the first train, G6551, from Guangzhou East to Hong Kong West Kowloon.^[10]
• On April 1, 2023, as trains from Hong Kong West Kowloon Station to outside Guangdong Province were resuming, the number of trains from Hong Kong West Kowloon to Guangzhou South returned to the pre-epidemic period, and 4 of the trains from Hong Kong West Kowloon to Guangzhou East did not stop at Dongguan Station, but stopped at Changping railway station instead. At the same time, all trains between Hong Kong West Kowloon and Guangzhou East have also been replaced with the CRH1A Electric Multiple Unit,^[11] other than G6501/2 which was operated by the Fuxing CR400BF-Z Smart Electrical Multiple Unit.
• From April 5 2023, Train no. G6538 no longer stopped at Humen. It would stop at Qingsheng railway station instead.
• On July 1, 2023, China Railway adjusted the operation map and added 3 pairs of trains between Hong Kong West Kowloon and Guangzhou East, increasing the number of trains from Hong Kong West Kowloon to Guangzhou East to 10 and the number of trains from Guangzhou East to 9 every day.^[12] 。
• On October 11, 2023, China Railway adjusted the operation map and the rolling stock used on the Guangzhou East to Hong Kong West Kowloon services were changed from CRH1A-A trains to CR300AF trains, while an additional service from Guangzhou East to Hong Kong West Kowloon was added.^[13]
• On January 10, 2024, China Railway adjusted the operation map and the last train from Guangzhou East was made to depart at 20:50.^[14]

Operations

• ● : stop at the station
• － : pass the station

Towards Hong Kong West Kowloon

!style="width:6em;"

						Notes
G6539	07:04	●	●	－	●	●	－	●
G6505	08:16	●	●	●	－	●	－	●
G6527	08:41	●	－	●	●	●	－	●
G6581	09:46	●	－	●	－	●	－	●	Operated by MTR Vibrant Express
G6503	10:02	●	－	－	－	－	－	●
G6511	10:42	●	－	－	－	●	－	●
G6515	10:57	●	－	●	●	●	－	●
G6541	11:27	●	－	－	－	●	－	●
G6529	11:55	●	－	●	－	●	－	●
G6583	12:16	●	－	－	－	●	－	●	Operated by MTR Vibrant Express
G6525	13:53	●	－	●	－	●	－	●
G6531	15:00	●	－		－	●	－	●
G6537	15:27	●	－	●	－	●	－	●
G6513	17:57	●	－	－	－	－	－	●
G6585	18:33	●	－	●	－	●	●	●	Operated by MTR Vibrant Express
G6509	20:26	●	－	●	－	●	－	●
G6587	21:50	●	－	－	－	－	－	●	Operated by MTR Vibrant Express

! style="width:6em;"

G6551	07:56	●	－	●	●	●	－	●
G6553	10:13	●	●	－	●	●	－	●
G6555	12:01	●	●	－	●	●	－	●
G6557	14:27	●	－	●	●	●	●	●
G6559	16:19	●	●	－	●	●	－	●
G6561	19:56	●	●	－	●	●	●	●

Towards Guangzhou South

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						Notes
G6582	08:25	●	●	●	-	●	-	●	Operated by MTR Vibrant Express
G6510	09:19	●	-	●	-	●	-	●
G6540	10:05	●	-		-		-	●
G6534	10:42	●	-	●	-	●	-	●
G6584	11:15	●	-	●	-		-	●	Operated by MTR Vibrant Express
G6516	12:31	●	-	●	-	●	-	●
G6530	13:25	●	●	●	-	●	-	●
G6536	13:50	●	-	●	-	●	-	●
G6542	15:10	●	●	●	-	●	-	●
G6508	16:19	●		●	-	●	-	●
G6586	16:57	●	-	●	●	-	-	●	Operated by MTR Vibrant Express
G6526	17:13	●	-	-	-	-	-	●
G6538	17:30	●	-	●	-		●	●
G6502	18:55	●	-	●	-	●	-	●
G6514	19:06	●	-	●	-	●	-	●
G6588	20:02	●	●	●	-	●	-	●	Operated by MTR Vibrant Express
G6506	22:21	●	-	●	-	-	-	●
G6504	22:50	●	-	●	-	-	-	●

Towards Guangzhou East

Train No.	Departure
G6552	08:06	●	-	●	●	-	-	●
G6554	10:00	●	-	●	●	●	-	●
G6556	12:26	●	-	●	●	-	●	●
G6558	14:19	●	-	●	●	-	●	●
G6560	16:42	●	-	●	●	-	●	●
G6562	19:21	●	-	●	●	●	-	●
G6564	22:12	●	-	●	●	-	-	●

Other services

There are some other trains also providing high-speed train connections between Guangzhou and Hong Kong.^[15]

• • • • The G79/80 Beijing–Hong Kong high-speed train The G99/100 Shanghai–Hong Kong high-speed train The G6113/6114 Changsha–Hong Kong high-speed train The G314/1 and G312/3 Kunming–Hong Kong high-speed train

Rolling stocks

CR400AF-A EMUs are used on the trains operated by CR Guangzhou and CR400BF-A EMUs are used on the G6503/6504 trains operated by CR Shanghai. The EMUs have the formation shown below.^{[16] [17]}

Car No.	1	2	3-7	8	9	10-14	15	16
Type	SW Business	ZY First class	ZE Second class	ZE Second class	ZEC Second class/Dining car	ZE Second class	ZY Second class	ZYS Business/First class

The Vibrant Express of MTR are operated by 8-car trainsets with first and second class seats only. A total of 68 first class seats are available in the first and last cars in 2+2 formation. The middle cars offer 511 second class seats in 3+2 formation, with wheelchair spaces are provided on the seventh car.^{[18] [19]}

Car No.	1	2-6	7	8
Type	ZY First class	ZE Second class	ZE Second class	ZY First class

CRH1A are used on the trains operated by CR Guangzhou for train services between Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and Guangzhou East Station. Due to the performance limitation of the train and the speed limit of the road section, its maximum operating speed is 200 km/h.

Car No.	1	2-4	5	6-7	8
Type	ZY First Class	ZE Second class	ZEC Second class/Dining car	ZE Second class	ZYT First class/Premier

Notes and References

1. "Short-haul train schedule " (MTR Corporation, Retrieved 7 September 2018.)
2. https://www.highspeed.mtr.com.hk/tc/latest-news/coverage-extension.html Coverage extension to additional 14 stations
3. Web site: 中国铁路广州局集团有限公司关于自2019年7月10日起部分旅客列车调整运行区段的公告. China Railway Customer Service Center. 2019-06-12. 2019-07-12. 2019-07-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20190711175849/https://www.12306.cn/mormhweb/zxdt_news/201906/t20190612_23335.html.
4. News: 中国铁路广州局集团有限公司关于调整广州局集团公司管内至香港西九龙部分动车组列车开行方案的公告. 中国铁路12306. 2020-01-29. 2020-01-29. 2020-01-29. zh-cn. https://web.archive.org/web/20200129174815/https://www.12306.cn/mormhweb/zxdt_news/202001/t20200129_28246.html.
5. News: 高速鐵路(香港段)及城際直通車服務安排. 香港鐵路有限公司. 2020-01-28. 2020-07-25. 2020-02-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20200209191009/https://www.mtr.com.hk/archive/corporate/en/press_release/PR-20-007-C.pdf. live.
6. News: High Speed Rail new route going to Guangzhoudong via Dongguan. MTR. 2023-01-15. 2023-01-15. 2023-01-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20230119065236/https://www.highspeed.mtr.com.hk/en/latest-news/Guangzhoudong.html. live.
7. Web site: 从广九铁路到广九高铁直通车——广州与香港续写百年铁路“情缘”. Xinhuanet. 2023-01-15. zh-cn. 吴涛. https://web.archive.org/web/20230603062102/http://www.news.cn/gangao/2023-01/15/c_1129287336.htm. 2023-06-03. 2024-03-19.
8. News: 广深港高铁全线恢复运营. Renmin Ribao. 2023-01-16. zh-cn. 李刚. 2024-03-19. 2024-03-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20240319065710/http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2023-01/16/nw.D110000renmrb_20230116_6-01.htm. live.
9. News: Service resumption of Hong Kong section of Express Rail Link from January 15. The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. 2023-01-11. 2023-01-11. 2023-02-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20230202090106mp_/https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202301/11/P2023011100678.htm?fontSize=1. live.
10. News: 驶过百年沧海桑田，这条铁路串起粤港澳大湾区的过去与未来. Nanfang plus. 2023-01-16. 2023-01-16. 2023-01-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20230117014740/https://news.southcn.com/node_54a44f01a2/a7cf91383a.shtml. live. zh.
11. News: 广深港高铁香港段4月1日起重开跨省列车. 新华网. 2023-03-21. 2023-03-22. 2023-03-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20230325035730/http://www.news.cn/gangao/2023-03/21/c_1129452150.htm. live. zh.
12. News: 广深港高铁香港段7月1日起新增四川省长途线路. Xinhuanet. 2023-06-15. zh-hans. 2023-06-15. 2023-06-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20230616123332/http://www.xinhuanet.com/2023-06/15/c_1129698033.htm. live.
13. News: 今天已放票！广深港高铁11日起新增5个站点直达香港. 谢哲. 羊城晚报. 2023-10-04. zh-hans. Jinyangwang. 2023-06-15. 2023-11-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20231110121315/https://news.ycwb.com/2023-10/04/content_52245742.htm. live.
14. News: 香港往返深圳福田高铁下月10日起每日增至98班. Xinhua Community. 2023-12-27. zh-hans. live. 2024-01-02 . 2024-01-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240102145201/http://www.xinhuanet.com/gangao/20231227/f3f894382665463591e843efcdcc5ee4/c.html .
15. Web site: Long-haul train schedule. MTR. 2018-10-10.
16. Web site: CR400AF-A/B动车组. 2018-10-10. www.china-emu.cn. zh-cn.
17. Web site: CR400BF-A/B动车组. 2018-10-10. www.china-emu.cn. zh-cn.
18. Web site: Train Facilities. MTR. 2018-10-10.
19. Web site: CRH380A港铁. 2018-10-10. www.china-emu.cn. zh-cn.