Airport ↔ rail connections
Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport兰州中川国际机场
Lanzhou Zhongchuan (LHW) has the railway station directly beneath Terminal 3’s transport hub: Zhongchuan Airport East reaches Lanzhou West in 38 minutes, Lanzhou station in 53 and Lanzhou Xinqu in 8, with fares from ¥6. The airport loop carries trains off three national lines, with about 43 passenger services a day. Tickets can be booked on traintickets.travel.
Getting from the plane onto a high-speed train
No metro reaches Lanzhou’s airport yet — Line 5 is still at the planning stage. The high-speed station is right below Terminal 3.
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Domestic arrivals: straight down to B2
The Terminal 3 arrivals hall is on level 2 — take the lift straight down to B2 for the station, or use the side corridors to Terminal 3 doors 7 and 8.
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The other way: heading for a flight
Reach GTC level 2, cross to Terminal 3 doors 7 and 8, then ride up to the L3 departures hall — or follow the underground GTC passages straight into Terminal 3.
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38 minutes to Lanzhou West38 min
That is the fastest service of the day. Second-class fares float, and the ¥16 shown is the lowest fare that day; Lanzhou Xinqu takes 8 minutes.
From plane to train
Follow these steps. The station is not in the middle of the terminal — you walk a signed indoor passage.
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Land and walk into arrivals
Terminal 3 domestic arrivals are on level 2, and everything else is in the same core.
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Two levels down, under the building10 min
Take the lift to B2 and you are in the station — the airport quotes ten minutes for the whole transfer.
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Into Lanzhou West in 38 minutes38 min
Lanzhou West is in the city, and trains to Zhangye, Jiayuguan and Dunhuang leave from this network.
Airport → railway station
The station is directly beneath the Terminal 3 transport hub — concourse on B1, platforms on B2. Take the lift down from arrivals; the airport quotes ten minutes for the whole air-to-rail transfer.On 12306 it is listed as “中川机场东”.
Zhongchuan Airport East Railway Station
38min · Lanzhou West Railway Station
The station is directly beneath the Terminal 3 transport hub — concourse on B1, platforms on B2. Take the lift down from arrivals; the airport quotes ten minutes for the whole air-to-rail transfer.
- Level
- Beneath the GTC and Terminal 3: B1 concourse, B2 platforms
- Scale
- Airport loop railway fed by three national high-speed lines
- Rail lines
- Zhongchuan Airport loop railway of the Lanzhou airport integrated transport hub (a branch built off the existing Lanzhou–Zhongchuan Airport railway at Lanzhou Xinqu that reaches Terminal 3; it is fed by the Lanzhou–Xinjiang HSR, the Yinchuan–Lanzhou HSR and the Lanzhou–Zhangye HSR). It is not the Zhongwei–Lanzhou line.
| To | Time | 2nd class | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lanzhou West Railway Station | 38 min | ¥16 | Lowest second-class ¥16; ¥16–30 across trains |
| Lanzhou Railway Station | 53 min | ¥16 | Lowest second-class ¥16; ¥16–30 across trains |
| Lanzhou Xinqu Railway Station | 8 min | ¥6 | Lowest second-class ¥6 |
Where you can fly
International, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan
Other ground transport
| Airport buses | Time | Fare | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airport bus | 60 min | ¥30 | Departing from Terminal 3. Line 1, RMB 30: Civil Aviation Ticket Office - Wanda Vista - north end of Tianshui Road - Rainbow City (Xinqu) - airport; towards the airport 04:30-23:30 (roughly every 20 minutes in peak periods), and from the airport back to the city from the first arrival to the last flight of the day (stopping at Wanda Crossing, the Dongfang Hotel and Lanzhou Railway Station). Line 2, RMB 40: New Victory Hotel - Dashaping - Evergrande Oasis - airport, about hourly. Line 3, RMB 30: Lanzhou West Railway Station - Anning - airport; city to airport 07:00-19:30, airport to city 09:30 to 01:00, about every 30 minutes. Line 5, RMB 50: Haihong Holiday Hotel - Lanzhou University of Arts and Science - Hongyun Runyuan - Xingangcheng - airport, on the hour 07:00-18:00. Fares range RMB 30-50. |
Taxi
The airport's own reference figures are around RMB 150 and roughly 1.5 hours into Lanzhou city centre. The taxi rank is at the second kerb outside Exit 11 of Terminal 3's international arrivals hall. Ask the driver to use the meter.