Guangzhou East Railway Station: Trains, Metro, Exits

Which trains use Guangzhou East?

Only bullet trains (EMUs, 动车组) run from Guangzhou East. Guangzhou Railway Group, cited by Yangcheng Evening News, said it would run only bullet trains from January 10, 2024. After the fourth-quarter 2026 timetable change, the Guangzhou government counts 365 passenger trains a day: 213 that start or end here and 152 that pass through (October 18, 2026).

The same report lists Ganzhou, Shanghai, Huizhou and Shanwei among the destinations. For routes, prices and booking, use the Guangzhou to Shenzhen and Guangzhou to Hong Kong guides. To buy a ticket, see train tickets for foreigners.

What changed recently?

• Hong Kong trains began on January 15, 2023. The Guangzhou government said the first trains to West Kowloon were the first high-speed trains from Guangzhou East towards Hong Kong, at about six pairs a day at the start. Today’s count comes from 12306, so check it.
• The through train is gone. The Guangzhou–Kowloon through train was suspended in January 2020. Wikipedia reports that China’s customs authority closed its rail ports on July 31, 2024. Old guides that mention Hung Hom are out of date.
• No slow trains. On January 26, 2026, Guangzhou Station stopped starting and ending conventional trains, per Xinhua. Guangzhou East was already bullet-train only. Conventional services are at Guangzhou Baiyun (广州白云站).
• Guangzhou South is faster for Hong Kong. See Guangzhou South Railway Station.

Which metro lines stop at Guangzhou East?

Lines 1, 3 and 11, at the station named 广州东站 (Guangzhou East Railway Station).

Guangzhou Daily reported on September 28, 2025 that Guangzhou East would join Line 11 the next day. According to Wikipedia, the loop itself opened on December 28, 2024, without this station and Guangzhou Station, which were left out during railway works. Older guides that list only Lines 1 and 3 predate this. Wikipedia lists Line 18 as a future connection here, not an open one.

iPhoto: SunLong2002 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Details

A traveller on r/guangzhou said Pazhou to Guangzhou East takes 16 minutes with no change on Line 11 (December 17, 2025). That is a traveller report, not a timetable. To pay for the metro with a foreign card, see the metro payment guide.

Which exit and entrance do I use?

We could not confirm an official exit list. Sources disagree: Wikipedia’s Chinese page counts 11 metro entrances, while Baidu Baike cites the metro website for 7 (September 2025). Both are third-party pages.

What those pages and one travel guide do agree on:

• Exit G leads to the railway station entrance and the bus terminal.
• Exits D and E have been closed to fit the station’s security checks (Wikipedia, undated).
• Self-service ticket machines are reported near exits B, G and H (Baidu Baike).

Treat this as a hint, not a plan. Follow the signs for the railway station (火车站), and check the exit in Amap or the Guangzhou Metro app. The rebuild may change the layout. The one entrance change we found in the news is for construction vehicles on Guangyuan Road, not for passengers.

What happens at the ticket check?

1. Arrive at least 30 minutes before departure. Travel China says gates usually close 3 to 5 minutes before.
2. Carry the passport you booked with. 12306 accepts only valid foreign passports, and your passport number is your ticket.
3. Scan the ride code in the 12306 app, or show the passport at the manual channel. Travel China says most foreign passports do not open the self-service gates.
4. Go through security and find your waiting hall. Check-in and waiting are described as running normally in the October 18, 2026 report.

You do not need a paper ticket. If you need an itinerary sheet, 12306 says it can be printed at the ticket counters. For Hong Kong, you leave the mainland and clear immigration at West Kowloon, not in Guangzhou. See the Hong Kong guide.

How do I get to and from Baiyun Airport?

By metro, take Line 3 from Airport North (机场北, Terminal 2) to Guangzhou East. The Airport North to Tiyu Xilu pattern runs all day, per Wikipedia, and Guangzhou East is on that branch, between Linhexi and Yantang. An undated third-party guide says the ride takes about 45 minutes. We could not verify a current time or fare, so check the app.

For Terminal 3, there is no metro station. The Guangzhou government (May 4, 2026) says to take Metro Line 3 or 9 to Gaozeng (高增) Exit B and change to the ¥2 Airport Line 2 branch bus (空港2线支线), about 15 minutes. It also lists 8 airport bus lines to city districts, including Tianhe, from ¥19.9. Details are in the airport to city guide and the terminals guide.

What is it like to get from the station to the city?

The station sits in Tianhe, next to the Line 1 and 3 interchange. Metro is the simple way into Tianhe, Zhujiang New Town and, on Line 11, Pazhou. For a taxi or Didi, show 广州东站. The old taxi and pick-up arrangements may change during the works, so check the app’s pick-up point.

What facilities does the station have?

Wikipedia describes the railway, metro and bus terminal as one connected complex, and lists the station as accessible. We could not verify left-luggage counters, lounges or opening hours from an official page, so check before you rely on them.

For finding toilets in metro stations and around the city, see public toilets in Guangzhou.

What does the rebuild mean for travellers?

The rebuild of Guangzhou East and a new Guangzhou East to Xintang fifth and sixth track line began in December 2025 and is due to finish in 2031, per the Guangzhou government report (October 18, 2026). The new line is about 30 km, mostly underground, designed for 200 km/h and runs through Tianhe, Huangpu and Zengcheng.

The plan is a two-level station: 8 platforms and 14 tracks at street level, and 6 platforms and 10 tracks underground. The report says that doubles the current 7 platforms. It should let high-speed trains from the east reach the city centre.

For now:

• The station stays open. Enclosures are on the south side of the Guangyuan Road service road, near Shipai, away from the station building.
• Two temporary entrances for construction vehicles are planned from October 7, 2026 to April 2, 2027 (Dayoo). Pedestrians are guided around the site.
• Platform numbers, exits and train counts may change during the works. Rely on your 12306 ticket and the signs.