Beijing - Ulaanbaatar Trains: K23 / K24

On every Tuesday, train K23 is available from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar, taking about 27 hours. The ticket price for a hard sleeper is CNY 1,310/ 1,361, for a soft sleeper is CNY 1,881 and for a deluxe soft sleeper is CNY 2,041/ 2,033. And train K24 runs from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing on every Saturday, requiring the travel time of 28.5 hours.

Basic Facts

Open Date: July 2nd, 1987

Distance: 1,553 kilometers (965miles)

Travel Time: Around 27 hours and 28.5 hours

Operated at: Beijing Railway Station, Ulaanbaatar Railway Station

Major Cities along the Way: Beijing, Shalingzi, Jining, Erlian, Dzamyn Uud and Ulaanbaatar.

Beijing to Ulaanbaatar Train Schedule: K23

Arrival	Departure	Station
Beijing Time
	7:27	Beijing
10:40	10:50	Shalingzi West
15:27	15:43	Jining South
20:18	0:59+1	Erlian
Ulaanbaatar Time
1:25+1	2:40+1	Dzamyn Uud
14:15+1	/	Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar to Beijing Train Schedule: K24

Arrival	Departure	Station
Ulaanbaatar Time
	7:30	Ulaanbaatar
18:50	20:35	Dzamyn Uud
Beijing Time
21:00	2:00+1	Erlian
6:37+1	6:22+1	Jining South
11:09+1	11:15+1	Shalingzi West
14:35+1	/	Beijing

Note: The above train timetable is for reference only. Please check the real-time schedule at the relative stations.

Beijing to Ulaanbaatar Train Ticket Price

Stations	Operator	Deluxe Soft Sleeper	Soft Sleeper	Hard Sleeper
Dzamyn Uud	China Railway	CNY 1,154	CNY 1,017	CNY 709
Dzamyn Uud	Mongolia Railway	CNY 1,147	/	CNY 752
Ulaanbaatar	China Railway	CNY 2,041	CNY 1,881	CNY 1,310
Ulaanbaatar	Mongolia Railway	CNY 2,033	/	CNY 1,361

The above ticket price is for individual passengers. There are discounts for groups with over 6 passengers.

Tips

1. If it is possible, you can apply the Mongolian visa in advance. And in that case, you may not encounter many troubles during your train trip.
2. Bring your passport and try your best to get to the railway station at least 1 hour earlier. If you never come to Beijing Railway Station and know nothing about the inner structure of it, it is suggested to get there one and a half hours in advance.
3. Prepare your luggage carefully and bring some clothes for the large temperature difference between China and Mongolia. The foods provided in the train are quite simple, so you can bring some of your favorite snacks before going.
4. The travel time is so long. As a result, you can bring something to kill time if you feel bored like a book or watching TV series which are downloaded into your phones in advance.
5. Always keep an eye on your belongings. Keep your valuable things, train ticket and passport well during the whole trip.

History

On January 4th, 1956, there was a pair of direct trains running between Beijing and Ulaanbaatar: train 89/ 90. The Beijing - Ulaanbaatar trains were in service only once a week. On February 16th, 1962, train 7/ 8 were available. Two pairs of international trains ran between China and Mongolia every week.

On November 2th, 1974, China, Vietnam, North Korea and Russia had a meeting of talking about the schedule of the international trains operated by them. After the meeting, Mongolia had the right to operate one pair of train between Beijing and Ulaanbaatar which was train 89/ 90 and train 7/ 8 was still operated by Chinese Railway Corporation. On July 15th, 1975, the Beijing - Ulaanbaatar trains operated by Chinese and Mongolia Railway were all numbered as train 89/ 90. Since October 16th, 1978, the international trains stayed shorter time at the cross board railway station, directly shortening the total travel time to 37 hours from 44 hours.

On March 25th, 1985, representatives of Chinese and Mongolian transportation department went to Ulaanbaatar to participate in the meeting concerning about the problems of the Beijing - Ulaanbaatar trains. Then, two sides both determined to operate train 23/ 24 and shut down the operation of train 89/ 90. Since then, in the summer of every year, train 23/ 24 ran between China and Mongolia twice every week. And in off seasons, the train would be available only once a week.

In the year of 1994, train 23/ 24 was available all year around. On October 21st, the speed of the Beijing Ulaanbaatar trains was increased. The number of the international train was officially changed as K23/ 24.

More and more tourists tend to choose this train, as when the train leaves China and runs to Mongolia, many beautiful scenery can be seen through the window. Mountains, rivers, cows and sheep are the common thing that you can see along the road.