The system is simple once you know the rhythm: sales open about 15 days out, sold-out trains have an automatic waitlist, and your passport is your ticket.
China Railway sells almost everything digitally. The two doors that matter: the official 12306 app, and Trip.com, which resells 12306 inventory with an English interface and foreign-card payment. Same trains, same prices on most routes; the difference is service fee, interface and how failures behave.
Popular route: Chengdu to Chongqing by train — station choice, fares and a 2-day plan. Day trip: Leshan Giant Buddha from Chengdu — 46–70 minute trains, and the Leshan vs Leshan North trap.
| 12306 (official) | Trip.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Face value | Face value + small service fee |
| Passport | Online verification in app | Upload once, reused |
| Payment | UnionPay cards, Alipay, WeChat | Foreign cards, home currency |
| English | Improving, still spotty | Full English support |
| Waitlist | Native | Auto-queues at release |
Practical answer: install both. Compare on Trip.com trains, and keep 12306 for waitlist depth. Paying in your home currency on Trip.com also sidesteps the 3% card fee explained in our payments guide.
Most lines open about 15 days before departure, including the departure day; the cross-border Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong service is 15 days. Around timetable adjustments the window can shift, so treat 15 days as the planning default and confirm in the app.
Yes - the official app supports passport registration with online identity verification for foreign travellers. Bring the same passport to the station: tickets and passport must match, and at many stations foreigners collect or verify at a staffed window.
When a train is sold out, 12306 and Trip.com both let you join an automatic queue. If a seat frees up it is charged and issued automatically. For Golden Week and Chinese New Year, join the waitlist the moment sales open.
Adult carry-on is 20 kg with length plus width plus height up to 160 cm; children 10 kg. There is no checked-baggage car on high-speed services - oversized items ship ahead by rail express or travel by road.
Independent research; no operator paid for inclusion. Rules can change — confirm with the official source before you travel.
Trains on day 15, timed attractions on day 7, eSIM at home. The order matters.
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