Download State-Owned 12306 App to Purchase Train Tickets in China

Summary on 12306 train information and ticket booking app

12306 China Railway, "Zhongguo Tielu" 12306 in Chinese

Integrated train timetable inquiring and tickets booking platform for all China trains, english version available, state owned.

12306.cn English website offers services including purchase, endorsement, refund of tickets and change of destination for tickets.

Links to Official 12306 Website

12306.cn Official Website (English)

Sign in, Log in, train schedule query, tickets booking, endorsement, refund and change the destination on the webpage

For Iphone and Ipad, better download on your mobile store to install 12306 app,

For Android, click on "Android" button, you can download to computer, and scan the QR code to mobile too.

If installed in Chinese version, then click "My"(我的) at the bottom navigation, then click Gear Icon (设置) on the right upper，

Then the Language Settings (语言设置) to selcet "English",

Click "confirm" (确认).

Official Help and FAQ Links

Ticketing Help & Support Link to 12306 Official Webpage

How to buy the tickets, how to change the destination, how to endoese etc

How to Sign in to Purchase Train Tickets

Sign up and real-name verification

Open the app on your mobile or open Register Webpage

Put in personal information as prompted

Make ID real-name verification as prompted

Add friends to "frequent contacts" (up to 15 contacts, real-name verification too for each before buy ticket) so that you can buy tickets for your friends

sometime verification needs 1-3days

You can buy train ticket only after ID verification.

How to Buy train ticket now
Open 12306 app or webpage.

Select: "Origin" (出发地departure city), "Destination" (目的地 arrival city), "Departure Date"（出发日）, "Return Date" (if necessary), "Traveller Types"(in general select "普通" if adults, or "学生" if students), "Train Types" , and preferred "Departure Time" (train departure time), then click "Search"(查询). 

Available train list appeared.

just click the digital price on the right side which your prefered train then display with various type of tickets,

Just click the "Book"(预订) buttom on the right of your prefered ticket,

Next, or you can change the ticket type, then click "plus passenger" button ("+ 选择乘车人"， up to 9 passengers) and new screen to selcet passengers from frequent contacts

click "confirm" (确认)

select the seats as showed, then submit (提交订单) for booking

just waiting for processing in a few minutes

Then click "paymnet" (支付),

select payment method: better Alipay or Wechat (微信), then making payment process as prompted,

then "payment finished" (支付完成)， that's all!

You can query : "Upused Order" (未出行订单), and "Train Ticket Orders" (火车票订单) in "Orders Centre"(订单中心) .

12306 Booking Tips

E-ticket

From 01Nov 2014, e-ticket

Payment

Payment availble with China Union card, bank card (China), and international credit card of VISA、MasterCard、JCB、Diners.
Anyway better with Alipay and Wechat.

Buy tickets for up to 9 Passengers

Just add your friends to My Passengers list and enter his/her name, valid ID document type and number accurately.
After his/her ID information becomes "verified" or "ready to be verified", you can buy tickets according to the corresponding prompts on the website.

Train ticket start purchasing date

Train tickets can be purchased only 15 days in advance (tickets are released for sale 15day before the train departure date).

Service Time

The 12306.cn website provides information query and ticket refund services 24 hours a day,
and the ticket sales and endorsement services from 5:00 to 1:00 the next day (Beijing Time),
(but only 5:00 to 23:30 on Tuesday, Beijing Time).

Documents Required for Booking Train Tickets

Passport for foreign passengers, Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong / Macau / Taiwan passengers, ID card or passport for China Mainland passengers.

Endorsement

Endorsement refers to the procedures to take when passengers change the date of travel, train number, or seat (berth).

Ticket refund service fee

No refund service fee is charged if the ticket is refunded more than 8 days (including) before the departure date;
5% of the ticket price is charged if the ticket is refunded more than 48hrs before the train departure;
10% is charged if less than 48hrs and more than 24hrs;
and 20% is charged if less than 24hrs.

Limitation of free cabin luggage

The maximum limit of free cabin luggage for each passenger are:
10 kg for children (including those free of tickets), 35 kg for diplomats and 20 kg for other passengers.
The maximum dimension of each item is 160 cm in total (rod-shaped items 200 cm) for traditional trains, and 130 cm for EMU trains;
the maximum weight for each item is 20kg.
Foldable wheelchairs used by people with disabilities are not included in the above range.

Categories of China Train

Chinese trains are classified by speed and service, represented by a train code
Train types: High-speed trains (G-category, D-category, and C-category).
Conventional trains (Z-category, T-category, and K-category), speed slower than high-speed trains.

Train Tickets Classes

Second Class (5 seats in a row), First Class (4 seats), Superior Class(3 seats), and Business Class(3 seats) mainly in high-speed trains (coded with "G", "D", "C" in front),
Hard Seat (硬座), Soft Seat （软座）, Hard Sleeper （硬卧） and Soft Sleeper （软卧） mainly in slower-speed trains (coded with "Z","T","K" in front)

Hard Sleeper with compartment open to the aisle, 2 sides *3 berths (upper/middle/lower) in it,
Soft Sleeper with 2 sides*2 berths (upper/lower) in a compartment.

Deluxe Soft Sleeper train ticket: top level and most expensive class in certain trains only.
The enclosed compartment contains two berths, private toilets etc with the best privacy and security.

Check in and Boarding at the Train Station

Scanning Passport for check-in and boarding is available in some train staions now, if necessary then please go to manual check-in counter.

Better check-in 15 minutes in advance (boarding processing at Check-in counter).

China trains timetable updates

Schedule of China trains will be updated quarterly, and updated any time if necessary.

Official Help Call

Official support call: 12306 in China