Check out this link. It allows you to shift between the two train systems and gives you some visual concept about the train connection between the two cities.

Train from Hong Kong to Shenzhen (part one)

Train from Hong Kong to Shenzhen (part two)

MTR East Rail line is the line going to Lo Wu / Lok Ma Chau, from where you can cross border to Shenzhen and be connected by Shenzhen’s underground.

The East Rail line train service is very frequent, just like all other MTR lines. In the peak hours of weekdays, say 8-9am or 6-7pm, the train can be every minute. But do avoid peak hours – too crowded. Other times, it is about every 2-3 minutes. So checking the train timetable is a bit pointless. Just go and take the train on the day of your travel.

East Rail line’s starting point is Hung Hom. From Hung Hom to Lo Wu, train time is 45 minutes, and the ticket fare is HK$34. The first train starts at 0530, and the last train at 2307.

Kowloon Tong station platform for the East Rail line

If you are not starting from Hung Hom, it is likely that you use Kowloon Tong station, a major transfer station, which is two stops from Hung Hom. From Kowloon Tong to Lo Wu, it is 37 minutes and the ticket fare is HK$34. The first train starts at 0536, and the last train at 2313.

If you want to use the less popular station Lok Ma Chau for crossing border to Shenzhen, the train line is still East Rail and the starting station is all the same – Hung Hom. The journey time from Hung Hom to Lok Ma Chau is 48 minutes, and the ticket fare is the same as that to Lo Wu, i.e. HK$34. The first train starts at 0535, and the last train at 2135.

The timetable of the last train is tied up with the border closing time. Lo Wu border closes at midnight, and Lo Ma Chau / Fu Tian port border closes at 10:30pm.

Train from Hong Kong to Shenzhen (part one)

Shenzhen Metro (the city’s subway system) ’s Luobao (罗宝) Line (line 1, the green line) has come into full operation since mid-June, linking Shenzhen Airport to Luohu (the line’s first and last stations). That means, you can now take the Shenzhen Metro all the way form Airport East station to Luohu (罗湖)  station, where you cross over to Hong Kong side’s Lo Wu and take Hong Kong’s train system (called MTR) which brings you to the city.

Or vice versa. Take the train to Lo Wu, cross border, and hop on the Shenzhen Metro, take Line 1, and you will come to Shenzhen Airport.

The journey time for Luobao Line is 68 minutes. The map here will give you a clear idea of the train lines.

Taking direct bus is currently a popular way of reaching Shenzhen Airport from Hong Kong. See this post. Now that Shenzhen’s underground system has reached Shenzhen airport, this may change.

Lo Wu
This is probably the busiest and most popular border crossing among the four. It has East Rail Line train connection at the Hong Kong side, and underground train connection and a busy shopping area at the Shenshen side. Many Hong Kong people tend to use this border because of its convenience for shopping. The disadvantage is, it is not a 24-hour crossing. The border closes at midnight – the last train destined for Lowu border departs from Hong Hum, Kowloon at about 11pm. This crossing during the public holidays can be very crowded.

Lok Ma Chau Spur Line/Futian
This border crossing is a diversion from  the Lo Wu one. It is also connected at two sides, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, by railway. The difference is, the Shenzhen side of this crossing, i.e. Futian, is relatively desolate, with little business activity. It is a springboard for you to go to other parts of Shenzhen via the underground train, itself unlikely a destination. Its advantage is, it is not as crowded as the Lo Wu crossing. To attract more people to use this crossing, ticket discounts for the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line – the railway line at the Hong Kong side connected to the border - are often offered.

Huanggang/Lok Ma Chau
The biggest advantage no doubt is its 24-hour operation. You can find buses and taxies going to/from the border 24 hours. And the biggest disadvantage lies in its traffic and immigration clearance arrangement. You have to get off the bus to clear the customs and immigration of Hong Kong, and then onto the bus to go to the Shenzhen check point, and off again- if you go in the direction of Shenzhen, and vice versa. What is more, at the side of Shenzhen, the transport hub (for taking buses and taxies) is a footbridge away, not readily accessible and hardly convenient, especially for those carrying heavy luggage.

This crossing is very congested during the public holidays, especially the mainland public holidays (such as Golden Week in the first week of October) when tours from the mainland flock to Hong Kong using this crossing.

Shenzhen Bay
This border crossing is used by vehicles only, as it has no rail connection at both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen side. This is its limitation. But since it is closer to the Shenzhen Airport, the bus to/from Shenzhen Airport usually uses this crossing. This crossing, the newest among the four land crossings,  boasts one thing -  the immigration and customs clearance for both Hong Kong and Shenzhen lies under one roof, a stark contrast to the Huanggang/Lok Ma Chau border. And the highway has made the journey to/from the border a fast one.

If you take a taxi from Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon of Hong Kong, for instance, it takes only about half an hour to reach the Shenzhen Bay border, and costs about HK$220. It probably takes you 10-15 minutes to clear all the customs and immigration. Right after leaving the customs and immigration hall, there is a taxi stand – you can take the taxi to anywhere in Shenzhen.

More to read: Hong Kong-Shenzhen Transport

You can now buy the direct bus tickets online using Visa credit card – but the interface is in Chinese only, or through the 7-Eleven convenience stores at the MTR stations (for the list of 7-Elevent stores, see here – in Chinese only ). In other words, if you can find a 7-Eleven store in any of the major MTR stations, you can buy the ticket there.

1. By ferry
Please see my previous post here.

2. By bus to Huanggang
There is bus service to Huanggang from the Coach Station in Hong Kong International Airport’s Terminal 2. Huanggang is one of the important border crossings between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. At Huanggang, you can simply take a taxi to your destination in Shenzhen. For more details, check out here.

3. By bus and MTR to Lowu
If you want to go from Hong Kong International Airport to Lowu, another important border crossing between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, you can take the airport bus No A43 to get off at Sheung Shui Railway Station stop and transfer to MTR train. Sheung Shui MTR station is only one stop away from Lowu MTR station, from where you will go through the immigration and customs clearing. See my previous post here.

The pier, soft-opened in December 2009, is a cross-bounder ferry terminal situated at the eastern tip of the airport island. The airport’s Automated People Mover system has extended to the pier, resulting in only 4-minute travel time to Terminal 1. There are 20 airline check-in desks and five security screening channels inside the ferry terminal.

The SkyPier has ferry going to/from Shenzhen’s Shekou (40 minutes), Shenzhen Airport (45 minutes), Dongguan (Humen)(1 hr 20 minutes), Zhongshan (1 hr 10 minutes), Zhuhai (50 minutes) and Macau (50 minutes).

For ferry schedule and more information, check out here.

This is 24 hour bus service, taking about 40 minutes one journey. It runs every 10 to 15 minutes during peak hours, ever 15-20 minutes in non-peak hours, and every 30-60 minutes during the night time.

Bus fare:
0700-2259：HK$30
2300-0659：HK$35

Kowloon Terminal is located at 8 Austin Road, Hong Kong Scout Centre (Exit C of Jordan MTR station).

You can find the maps and more information here.

Please note that passengers going to Huanggang have to carry all their luggage off the bus at the Hong Kong border, ie Lok Ma Chau Control Point. After the immigration, they will get on the bus again to be driven to the China border control point (Huanggang).

Or, if you come from Huanggang, you have to carry your luggage off the bus at the Hong Kong border, and then board the bus again for Wanchai, Hong Kong.

Ticketing and Terminal: Wanchai Ferry Pier, Hong Kong; or 1/F Departure Hall, Huanggang Control Point, Shenzhen

Fee: HK$45 (0615-2344); HK$50 (2345-0614)

Enquiry: (852)25960782

Timetable:

From Wanchai Ferry Pier
Mon-Fri:
0600-0900: every 20-60 mins
0900-1700: every 15-30 mins
1700-2000: every 10-12 mins
2000-0200: every 12-30 mins
0200-0600: every 30-60 mins
Sat:
0700-1300: every 12-20 mins
1300-2300: every 8 mins
2300-0200: every 10-30 mins
0200-0700: every 30-60 mins
Holiday:
0700-1300: every 20-30 mins
1300-2200: every 10-20 mins
2200-0200: every 12-30 mins
0200-0700: every 30-60 mins

From Huanggang
Mon-Fri:
0600-0900: every 12-30 mins
0900-0200: every 15-20 mins
0200-0600: every 30-60 mins
Sat:
0700-0200: every 10-20 mins
0200-0700: every 30-60 mins
Holiday:
0700-0200: every 10-15 mins
0200-0700: every 20-60 mins

After going through the Hong Kong immigration, you will find yourself at the Hong Kong Lowu train station. Board the train, and get off at the first stop – Sheung Shui station.

Take exit B2, to get to the Sheung Shui Bus Terminus, where you will find A43 airport bus. It takes about 1 hour to get to the Hong Kong International Airport, with a bus fare of HK$29.2. The bus is every 15-30 minutes.

For details of the bus route, please go to this bus company website to key in the bus route number for checking. Note that the first part of the schedule is for transport to the Airport from Luen Wo Hui (in Fanling, which is about 2-3 stops to Sheung Shui station), and the second part of the schedule is for transport from the Airport.

Wharney GuangDong Hotel

The direct bus service through the Hong Kong – Shenzhen Western Corridor seems to be the most convenient and popular way to travel between Hong Kong and Shenzhen Airport. Please see my previous posts here and here. The route is from Kowloon Station to Shenzhen Airport, and vice versa.

The service has gained such popularity that the bus company ChinaLink has started to run a new route, this time from Wanchai on the Hong Kong island to Shenzhen Airport, with effect from 21 April 2009.  

The service point in Wanchai is located at The Wharney GuangDong Hotel (No. 57-73, Lockhart Road).

How to get there:

Take MTR and get off at Wanchai MTR Station, and take exit C. You will be at the Lockhard Road. Turn left and go straight. After the first junction (between Lockhart Road and Luard Road), the hotel is at the right hand side. The bus company has a reception inside the hotel lobby. 

Wanchai to Shenzhen Airport:

One-way price: HK$110; Two-way price: HK$180;  Tel Enquriy: 852-2529-0900 (Wanchai hotline); 852-2230-3030 (Hong Kong hotline) 

Schedule: 

Direct bus from Wanchai to Shenzhen Airport:

07:15; 07:45; 08:15; 08:45; 09:15; 09:45; 10:15; 11:30; 12:30; 13:30; 14:30; 15:30; 16:30, 17:30; 18:30

Direct bus from Wanchai to Shenzhen Airport, but with transfer at the Kowloon Station:

10:45; 11:15; 12:15; 12:45; 13:15; 13:45; 14:15; 14:45; 15:15; 15:45; 16:45; 17:15; 18:15

Direct bus from Shenzhen Airport to Wanchai/Kowloon Station:

08:30; 09:00; 09:30; 10:00; 10:30; 11:00; 11:20; 11:40; 12:00; 12:20; 12:40; 13:30; 14:00; 14:20; 14:40; 15:00; 15:20; 15:40; 16:00; 16:20; 16:40; 17:00; 17:20; 17:40; 18:20;18:40; 19:00; 19:20; 19:40; 20:00; 20:20; 20:40; 21:00; 22:00; 22:30; 23:00; 23:30

One-way price from Shenzhen Airport to Wanchai is RMB100, and two-way price is RMB180.

buses parking outside Wharney GuangDong Hotel

Please note that the earliest bus departing from Kowloon Station is 06:15. So if you want to take a very early bus, you should use the Kowloon Station bus service. Also, at Wanchai service point, you can not check in for flights from Shenzhen Airport. Only at the Kowloon Station, you can do so.

The total bus journey time between Wanchai and Shenzhen Airport is about 80 minutes, excluding the immigration time, which is about 15 minutes. 

As said in my prevous posts about the direct bus service between Kowloon Station and Shenzhen Airport, the advantage of using this bus service is that it uses Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor, which is open to vehicles only, so it is fast, and the Chinese and Hong Kong customs at the border crossing (called  Shenzhen Bay Port ) are located under one roof, so it is convenient. But note that the last two buses from Shenzhen Airport (23:00, 23:30) use Huanggang border crossing, which may lead to longer travel time.

Two companies are authorized to provide direct limousine service from Hong Kong Airport to main cities in Guangdong Province. You can hire a 6-seater limousine at the Airport from these companies (both located at Buffer Hall A), but to be on the safe side, advance online booking is advisable. 

Just to give you some idea of the cost. Trans Island, one of the service providers, charges HK$2500 (about US$320) for a trip to Shenzhen Airport. A Chauffeur speaking English will be provided.   

Please check out Trans Island’s website for more information and reservation.

Another service provider is Eternal East. Unfortunately its website is in Chinese only. 

But here are the ways to make enquiries and online booking of the cross border limousine service: 

Trans Island

For online enquiry/reservation, click here 

Phone: (852) 2261-2636

Eternal East

For online enquiry/reservation, click here 

Phone: (852) 2261-0176

ferry at hong kong airport skypier terminal

The fastest way going from Hong Kong airport to Shenzhen airport, over vice versa, will be taking the ferry.

If you arrive in Hong Kong International Airport, use the ferry service at the Airport’s Skypier. There is ferry from here to Shenzhen Fuyong pier, the journey time of which is 45 minutes. Once you arrive at the Shenzhen Fuyong pier, there is free shuttle bus going to the Shenzhen Baoan International Airport, taking about 10 minutes.

Below is the ferry schedule, departing from Hong Kong International Airport’s SkyPier at:

1130; 1245; 1415; 1540; 1645; 1830; 1950

Departing from Shenzhen Airport at:

0830; 0930; 1100; 1300; 1425; 1530; 1700; 1830

Ticket price is HK$295/RMB272 one way.

One minus point is that the ferry service is not very frequent, especially that it stops after 8pm on Hong Kong’s end, and after 6:30pm on Shenzhen’s end.

There are buses running from Shenzhen Airport direct to Hong Kong DisneyLand Park between 8:20am – 11am, every 20 minutes. The bus fare is RMB150. The bus will go via Huanggang border, and you will need to change to another bus of the same bus company after the border crossing. But this should be easy. Just follow the directions or the passengers in the same bus. 

Ticketing:

Block A of Shezhen Airport (near the middle gate of the Arrival Hall), or Block B (next to the No.5 gate)

The confusion arises probably because the names all have at least two references.

Firstly, “Huanggang”. It has two references coming to the border crossing. Most people will take it as meaning the Huanggang/Lok Ma Chau border which is open 24 hours. Correct. Huanggang is the border name for Shenzhen side, while Lok Ma Chau is the border name for Hong Kong side.

But “Huanggang” actually has second reference. It is the name of the station of the Shenzhen underground system which connects to Hong Kong/Shenzhen’s another border crossing – the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line/Fu Tian crossing, which came into operation in 2007. Lok Ma Chau Spur Line is the name of the control point at Hong Kong side, and Fu Tian, name of the control point at Shenzhen side. Right after the crossing, at the Shenzhen side, is the Huanggang underground station.

Now you know for “Lok Ma Chau”, it has two references too. It refers to the border name of Hong Kong for the 24 hour Huanggang/Lok Ma Chau border crossing.

Platform of Lok Ma Chau MTR station

It also refers to one of the last stations of the East Rail Line of the Hong Kong train system (another last station is Lo Wu). You take the train to this station for the above mentioned “Lok Ma Chau Spur Line/Fu Tian crossing. This crossing is not 24 hours, and open from 6:30am to 10:30pm only.

And the Lo Wu crossing, a primary passenger crossing between Hong Kong and Shenzhen with rail connection at both sides, is open from 6:30am to midnight.

In terms of border corssing bus transport, no service is better than that offered by Hong Kong China Travel Service (CTS). It runs frequent bus service between Hong Kong International Airpot and different hotel spots in Shezhen/Shenzhen Airport via the border of Huangguang (shenzhen side)/Lok Ma Chau (hong kong side).

There is a Mainland Coach Station in Terminal 2 of the Hong Kong International Airport. This is the boarding point. For ticketing, if you are in Terminal 1, go to the Arrival Hall Counter A09 (CTS counter); if you are in Terminal 2, go to the Coach Station C05.

There are at least 3 CTS buses you can take. I quote one of the buses below. For more choices and details pls check out here

Bus 1:

Schedule of bus from Hong Kong International Airport (via Huanggang) to Shenzhen Bao Li Lai Hotel:

08:05; 09:05; 10:05; 11:05; 12:05; 13:05; 14:05; 15:05; 17:05; 18:05; 19:05; 20:05

Schedule of bus from Shenzhen Bao Li Lai Hotel to Hong Kong International Airport (via Huanggang):

06:40; 07:40; 09:10; 10:10; 11:10; 12:10; 13:10; 14:10; 15:10; 16:10; 17:10: 18:10

The bus fare is HK$100-150 per journey (Hong Kong International Airport to Huanggang) – early and late buses will charge more.

The last bus to depart Hong Kong International Airport for the Huanggang border/Shenzhen is 22:00. If you arrive in Hong Kong later than this time, then you may need to think about another way to travel to Huanggang, such as by taking the Hong Kong MTR.

Lok Ma Chau - Huanggang border crossing, with the bridge linking HK and Shenzhen

The Huang Gang (皇崗) (name of the border at Shenzhen side) / Lok Ma Chau (落馬洲) (name of the border at Hong Kong side) border crossing is the only 24-hr border crossing between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. So if you will arrive late at either of the cities, you will have to use this border crossing.

If you land in Shenzhen airport late at night and want to go to Hong Kong, it is most convenient to take a taxi to the border. It will cost about RMB130 by taxi and take about 45 minutes.

Once you have gone through the Shenzhen control point, you will need to take a shuttle bus (called yellow bus) at HK$7 to the Hong Kong Lok Ma Chau Control point. Then you will land at a traffic interchange. Here you can find 24-hr transportation to the city, such as the 616S night bus going to Mongkok every 20 minutes.

Also, every day, there are 24-hr buses going between the border and Wanchai Pier/MTR Prince Station/MTR Tsuen Wan Station. The bus fare is about HK$40 per journey.

If you plan to take a taxi from the border to Kowloon or Hong Kong Island, do remember to take red taxis. Only red taxis go to these two regions. The green taxis go only around New Territories, where Lok Ma Chau belongs. It will cost about HK$300 by taxi to Tsim Sha Tsui, or HK$350-400 to Central.

There are a few train lines, such as Ma On Shan Line, Island Line, Kwun Tong Line, East Rail Line and West Rail line. The one that goes to Shenzhen is East Rail Line. Lowu is the station that you should aim at, the last of the rail line.  After getting off at the Lowu station, the Hong Kong immigration counters is just a stone’s throw away. Then you proceed to the immigration counters of Shenzhen, which is about a bridge away.

The East Rail train is very frequent, one every 2-3 minutes. Use this search at the MTR website. The search result will tell you how long the journey time will be, and how to transfer from one line to another in order to reach your destination. You will be shown the train fare as well.

Also at the end of  the East Rail Line is Lok Ma Chau station, which allows you to cross border to the Futian Port at the Shenzhen side. This border crossing is only one year old, used by much fewer people than the Lowu crossing. You will need to transfer at the Sheung Shui station, the second last station of the East Rail Line, so as to broad the train to Lok Ma Chau station, or take the East Rail train whose destination is Lok Ma Chau station.

See my previous post about the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line – Fu Tian Port Crossing.

Continue reading: Train from Hong Kong to Shenzhen (part two)

Lok Ma Chau Spur Line /Fu Tian Port Control Point is the second control point that has connection with railway, after Lo Wu. Passengers coming from Hong Kong can connect to the HuangGang station, the last stop on the No.4 line of Shenzhen underground railway system. The Station is situated on the ground floor of the border control building. So it is convenient for passengers.

But since the opening of the new Control Point, not as many passengers as expected are using it. This is because the area around Fu Tian Port Control Point is not as much developed as Lo Wu and there is not much choice in terms of transportation. So most of the passengers still prefer Lo Wu border crossing.

But as a traveler, if you want to go to Shenzhen from Hong Kong, and avoid the crowd, do consider Lok Ma Chau Spur Line/Fu Tian Port Control Point. It will be less crowded, and the border control building is very spacious and bright.

The easiest way to reach the Control Point from Hong Kong is take the Hong Kong MTR East Rail line to the Shueng Shui station and transfer from there to Lok Ma Chau station, just one station away.

The Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point at Hong Kong side is connected to the Fu Tian Port Control Point by a footbridge.

The Control Point operates 16 hours a day from 6.30am to 10.30pm.

Bus company name: Chinalink Bus Company Limited

Shenzhen Airport to Kowloon Station, Hong Kong (in Chinese only)

Kowloon Station to Shenzhen Airport  (in Chinese only)

Hotline (Hong Kong): (852) 2230 3030

Bus  journey time: 75 minutes – But this does not take into account the immigration time and luggage time etc. So please plan your journey with at least 2-2.5 hours ahead of your flight time.

Through: Shenzhen Hong Kong West Corridor, with Hong Kong/mainland China checkpoints under one roof – convenient

Cost: HK$100

Departing from Hong Kong:

6:15 – 19:15 daily; two buses departing hourly; at :15 and at :45 (6:15, 6:45; 7:15, 7:45; 8:15, 8:45; 9:15, 9:45, etc)

Ticketing office: 1/F, Elements Shopping Mall, at Kowloon Station (Exit C, Kowloon Station of Hong Kong MTR)

Departing from Shenzhen Airport:

9:30 – 21:00 daily; two buses departing hourly; at :30 and at :00 (09:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, etc)

Ticketing office: A08, B04 counters, Arrival Hall, Shenzhen Airport

Also see: Ticketing update: “Hong Kong-Shenzhen Airport” direct bus (posted on 6 December, 2010)