Chengdu to Chongqing by bullet train: how long, how much, and which station

Quick answer

Checked September 2026.

From Chengdu East to Chongqing, the fastest trains take just over an hour. There are more than 100 trains a day, from just after 6 in the morning to about 10 at night. Second class is mostly between 139 and 165 yuan, and fares vary by train and by day. In Chongqing, get off at Shapingba or Chongqing West: many trains to Chongqing North take about 2 hours. A day trip from Chengdu to Chongqing works too: a train before 7 in the morning gets in at 8, and there are still trains back to Chengdu after 9:30 at night.

• How long: the fastest take about 1 hour (to Shapingba and Chongqing West). To Chongqing West, half the trains take 1 hr 32 min or less. To Chongqing North, most take about 2 hours.
• How much: second class mostly 139–165 yuan; first class about 225–265 yuan; business class about 460–580 yuan (on the fast trains).
• Which station: in Chengdu, almost every train leaves from Chengdu East. In Chongqing, go for Shapingba first, then Chongqing West.
• Last train: the last few trains back to Chengdu East leave Shapingba and Chongqing West between 21:30 and 21:52.

Checked on 12306 on 30 September 2026, for trains on Saturday 10 October and Monday 12 October.

How long is the bullet train from Chengdu to Chongqing?

The fastest trains take 1 hr 2 min (to Shapingba) to 1 hr 6 min (to Chongqing West). But not every train is that fast. From the same station, Chengdu East, half the trains to Chongqing West take 1 hr 32 min or less, and the slow ones take over 2 hours. To Chongqing North, half the trains take 2 hours or more. How long you ride depends on how many stops your train makes and which station it goes to, not on the words “bullet train”. When you buy, look at the journey time on the ticket: about 1 hr 30 min or less means a fast train.

• By rail the two cities are about 310 km apart, and about 265 km in a straight line.
• Trains that make a lot of stops on the way are half an hour or more slower than the fast trains.
• The same train can take 40 minutes longer to Chongqing North than to Chongqing West. For example, G1475 leaves Chengdu East at 06:33 and takes 2 hr 11 min to Chongqing West, but 2 hr 50 min to Chongqing North.

How much is a train ticket from Chengdu to Chongqing?

Second class is mostly 139 to 165 yuan a ticket; first class about 225 to 265 yuan; business class about 460 to 580 yuan. Fares vary by train and by day, and the same train can differ by a few yuan between Saturday and Monday. A few long-distance through trains (2 hours or more) charge 190–237 yuan for second class. They are dearer and slower, so skip them. D trains to Chongqing North are the cheapest, 85–107 yuan in second class, but they all take about 2 hours.

Chengdu to Chongqing fares by seat

Checked on 12306 on 30 September 2026, for trains on 10 and 12 October. Fares change with the train and the date, so go by the fare shown when you buy.

Which Chongqing station: Shapingba, Chongqing West or Chongqing North?

Shapingba first, then Chongqing West. Trains to Shapingba are the fastest, and half of them take 1 hr 20 min or less. From the station, Metro Line 1 takes you to the Jiefangbei area in about 25 minutes with no change. The downside is that there are only 13–19 trains a day. Chongqing West has the most trains (53–54 a day from Chengdu East), and half of them take 1 hr 32 min or less. Chongqing North is close to the city centre, but most trains from Chengdu take about 2 hours to get there, so you lose more time on the train than you save on the metro.

Chengdu East to each Chongqing station

Trains and times: 12306, checked 30 September 2026, for trains on 10 and 12 October. Metro: Chongqing Rail Transit official route search, 30 September 2026. Time on the train only; walking between lines when you change is extra.

• Staying around Jiefangbei, Hongya Cave or Jiaochangkou: Shapingba is the easiest, one line, Line 1, all the way.
• Staying in Guanyinqiao: all three stations are about the same (from Shapingba, Line 9 takes 21 minutes with no change; from Chongqing North, 13 minutes with one change).
• Going to Ciqikou: Ciqikou is only 3 stops from Shapingba (6 minutes, 2 yuan), so you can see Ciqikou first, straight off the train.
• Chongqing North has two squares, South and North, on different metro lines. Check which square your ticket says (see the Chongqing metro guide).
• Chongqing East: trains from Chengdu are few, slow and dear. Skip it unless you are going straight on to Wulong or Zhangjiajie.
• “Chongqing station” at Caiyuanba: bullet trains from Chengdu don’t stop here at the moment. It is being rebuilt, and officials say Chengdu–Chongqing high-speed trains are expected to run through it in 2027.

Which station in Chengdu do I leave from?

Almost always Chengdu East. Checked on 12306, about 106 trains a day run from Chengdu East to Chongqing. Chengdu South has only a few, Chengdu West has only a few slow trains (nearly 3 hours to 5 hours), and Chengdu station (the old North station) has no trains to Chongqing. Chengdu East is about 8–9 km from the centre of Chengdu, about half an hour on Metro Line 2 or Line 7.

• If Chengdu is also part of your trip with us, the Chengdu guide takes you to the entrance at Chengdu East, so you don’t have to find the station yourself.

Can I buy a ticket myself with a foreign passport?

Yes. Since 28 November 2023, the 12306 website and app can verify foreign passports online. Enter your name, nationality and passport number and the system checks it automatically, or upload a photo of your passport’s photo page for a manual check. You can also be verified at a station ticket window. On the day, bring the original passport you bought the ticket with. The ID you buy with is your ticket, and you go through the ticket gates with your passport.

• 12306 sells tickets up to 15 days ahead (counting the day of travel). For busy times around public holidays, buy early.
• If you travel with us, we can buy train tickets for you (we need your passport details).

Once you reach Chongqing, how do you get out of the station?

With us: the driver meets you at the station exit with a name sign, and your bags go straight into the car. If you are sightseeing that day, the guide comes too. On your own: all three stations connect straight to the metro (see the table above). At Chongqing West, after the railway ticket gates, turn right for taxis (B2), or turn left and go up to B1 for ride-hailing cars. On the spot, follow the “Taxi” and “Ride-hailing” signs. The service desk in the exit hall lends luggage trolleys and wheelchairs, and the station has left-luggage.

• Chongqing West: the metro is on B2. Walk straight on after you exit and you reach the metro (travel notice from the Chongqing West Station area management committee, Shapingba District, June 2024).
• Chongqing North has a service window for foreign travellers (Chongqing Municipal Transport Commission, September 2026).
• Chongqing is a mountain city, and the centre is full of slopes and steps. With big cases, there is still a walk after you get off the metro. With lots of luggage, the easiest way is to be met by car: tell us how many big cases you have, and we match the car to your luggage.

Can I do Chongqing as a day trip from Chengdu?

Yes, but only enough for the city centre. Take a train from Chengdu East before 7 in the morning and you reach Chongqing West at about 8. After 9:30 at night, take a train back from Shapingba or Chongqing West and you reach Chengdu East at about 11. Buy your return ticket at the same time as your outbound one, and don’t leave the last train until the day itself. In between you have 12–13 hours, enough for our standard city day: the Yangtze River Cableway, Baixiangju, Shancheng Lane, the monorail through the building at Liziba, Eling No. 2 Factory, Ciqikou, and after dark Hongya Cave lit up (since 3 September 2026 the lights are on 19:30–23:00, and the times change a few times a year). Out-of-town sights such as Wulong and Dazu don’t fit into a day there and back.

Trains for a day trip (checked on 12306 for trains on 10 and 12 October)

The railway is changing its timetable and some trains have stopped selling tickets, so trains and times may change. Go by what 12306 shows on the day you buy.

Our day plan (the Chongqing day):

• About 08:00: the guide and car meet you at the Chongqing West station exit
• Morning: Yangtze River Cableway → Baixiangju
• Midday: Shancheng Lane, lunch
• Afternoon: Liziba to see the monorail go through the building → Eling No. 2 Factory → Ciqikou
• Early evening: Hongya Cave. After the lights come on at 19:30, we watch from Qiansimen Bridge or the far bank, not from inside Hongya Cave
• Evening: we work back from your return train to set the time we leave, and take you to the station entrance with plenty of time for security and boarding

How much you walk, and where you stop a little longer, the guide sets to suit your energy and pace.

To see it without rushing, we still suggest staying at least one night in Chongqing: the night views, the Two Rivers night cruise, and Dazu or Wulong the next day, all without racing for the last train. For where to stay, see where to stay in Chongqing.

The other way: how do I take the train from Chongqing to Chengdu?

Just as on the way in, Shapingba and Chongqing West are the fastest. From Shapingba to Chengdu East, half the trains take about 1 hr 10 min or less; from Chongqing West, half take 1 hr 30 min or less. Chongqing North has plenty of trains to Chengdu, but half take over 2 hours. The last train back to Chengdu East leaves at 21:52 (from Chongqing West).

• Going via Dazu (Chengdu East to Dazu South is about 1 hour) lets you fit the Dazu Rock Carvings into the day you change cities. See Chengdu and Chongqing itinerary.
• If Chengdu is also part of your trip with us, the Chengdu guide meets you when you arrive in Chengdu.

Will the train get faster?

Yes. The Chengdu–Chongqing Central Line high-speed railway is being built, from Chongqing North to Chengdu station. It is about 292 km long and designed for 350 km/h, and official reports say Chongqing to Chengdu will take about 50 minutes once it is built. Track-laying began on the Sichuan section in May 2026 and on the Chongqing section in August 2026. No opening date has been announced yet. When it is, we will update this page.

Travelling with us: who meets you in Chongqing?

• A pickup to your hotel only: you can book this on its own. The driver waits with a name sign at the exit of the station you arrive at, and we send the car to match your train time.
• Sightseeing from the same day (for example, a day trip from Chengdu): the guide and driver meet you together at the exit. The guide and car come as one, and we don’t sell them separately.
• The car depends on group size: 2 people with transfers only and no guide get a 5-seat car; 2 people with a guide, or 3–4 people, get a 7-seat car; 5–6 people get a 9-seat car; 7–8 people get a 15-seat car. For more people, tell us how many of you there are, and we match the car. With lots of luggage, tell us how many big cases, and we match the car to your luggage.
• We can buy train tickets for you (we need your passport details), and we pick fast trains and the right station for your plan.
• If Chengdu is also part of your trip with us, the Chengdu guide takes you into Chengdu East, and in Chongqing we meet you as above. You don’t need to find a car yourself at any point.
• Prices are quoted per itinerary. See how our pricing works.

Where does each number on this page come from?

FAQ