In short
Yinchuan station, telegraphic code YIJ, is Ningxia’s high-speed hub where the Yinchuan to Xi’an and Yinchuan to Lanzhou lines meet, and it is where you change for Xi’an or Lanzhou. Getting there from Hedong Airport is far simpler by rail than by going into town first. Hedong Airport station opened on 29 December 2019 directly below ground west of Terminal 3, two to five minutes away along an indoor, step-free link through the ground transport centre, and its platforms are clearly split: platform 2 handles the up direction towards Yinchuan, platform 1 the down direction towards Wuzhong and Zhongwei South. The numbers are these: Yinchuan station is 33 kilometres and about 20 minutes away, the published full second-class fare is ¥15, and because fares float you will see most trains priced somewhere between ¥6 and ¥15, occasionally as little as ¥6. Follow the signs into the concourse on arrival and use the air-rail service island to cross-check flight and train information. Frequency is the one thing to watch: a third-party timetable updated in October 2026 lists 27 calling services, with the first up departure around 08:03 on service C8208 and the last around 22:42 on C8222, and gaps of roughly an hour. The railway publishes a fresh diagram every day, so those two times are indicative rather than guaranteed and must be confirmed on 12306. There are two fallbacks. Airport bus line 2 extension runs direct to Yinchuan railway station via Yuehai Xintiandi for ¥20 and about 90 minutes, but its published timetable has stood still since the 2019 Ningxia Daily launch report — seven departures from the station, six from the airport — and nothing newer has been issued. Or take a taxi over roughly 35 kilometres, metered under the 2023 tariff with ¥9 covering the first 3 kilometres, a 50 per cent empty-running surcharge beyond 10 and a 20 per cent supplement between 23:00 and 06:00, plus expressway tolls, with third-party sites quoting ¥50 to ¥90 as a reference range. One last warning: Yinchuan East, which looks closer to the airport on a map, cannot be used at all — it is a passing loop with no passenger service and no public transport, so always use Yinchuan station.
- Yinchuan station code
- YIJ, hub of the Yinchuan to Xi’an and Yinchuan to Lanzhou lines
- Walking to the station
- Below ground west of T3, 2 to 5 min along an indoor link
- Distance and run time
- 33 km, about 20 min
- Second-class fare
- Published ¥15, floating ¥6–15
- First and last towards Yinchuan
- Around 08:03 and 22:42 per third-party data, check 12306
- Trains calling each day
- About 27 per third-party data
- Coach alternative
- Line 2 extension, ¥20, about 90 min, six or seven runs, 2019 figures
- Taxi
- About 35 km, metered under the 2023 tariff
- Yinchuan East station
- A passing loop with no passenger service and no links
- How to search
- Book with code YIJ, not by name or pinyin
How to take each option
First choice: the high-speed train from below Terminal 3
Time 2 to 5 min walking plus about 20 min ridingFare ¥6–15 second classFirst 08:03Last 22:42
- After claim, follow the indoor signs reading high-speed rail or railway station rather than heading outside to the taxi rank. The link leads to Hedong Airport station below ground west of Terminal 3, entirely indoors and step-free, in about two to five minutes.
- Clear security and go in. Read the destination carefully: you want Yinchuan, not Yinchuan East, which is a passing loop handling no passenger trains at all and is therefore unreachable.
- Wait on platform 2 for an up-direction service, since platform 1 serves Wuzhong and Zhongwei South. The published full second-class fare is ¥15, but floating pricing puts different trains between ¥6 and ¥15 on the same day, so compare that day’s departures and prices first.
- The run to Yinchuan station takes about 20 minutes over 33 kilometres. Follow the signs up into the concourse: both the Yinchuan to Xi’an line towards Xi’an North and the Yinchuan to Lanzhou line towards Lanzhou West connect here, and onward tickets can be booked on this site.
The whole cost of this option sits in its frequency: a couple of dozen trains a day with gaps of around an hour, and missing one erases the saving at once. Check up-direction departures on 12306 before committing to the walk, and note that the last one leaves around 22:42, which a late evening arrival will miss.
Backup one: airport bus line 2 extension straight to the station
Time About 90 minFare ¥20 per personFirst 07:20Last 19:30
- At the coach bays on the Terminal 3 arrivals level, look for a vehicle labelled line 2 extension or railway station. All five routes leave from the same area, so read the board before queueing. The fare is ¥20.
- It calls at Yuehai Xintiandi on the way, which is why the full run takes about 90 minutes compared with the main line 2 service; the advantage is that it finishes at Yinchuan railway station with no change.
- At the station end the stop is block A of the high-speed rail service centre. Note two conflicting wordings: the 2019 launch report places it on the west side of block A of the railway station commercial centre, while the current local-portal listing puts it on the east side of block A on Shanghai West Road, so follow the signs on site.
- Confirm times on the day: the only fixed timetable still dates from the 2019 Ningxia Daily launch report, seven departures from the station from 07:20 and six from the airport from 09:30, with nothing published since. The enquiry number is 0951-6912480.
The sole virtue of this route is avoiding security and dropping you at the station front; never choose it when time matters. If you actually want Wuzhong or Zhongwei South, do not board it either — a down-direction train from Hedong Airport station is far quicker, 16 to 18 minutes to Wuzhong and 65 to 77 minutes to Zhongwei South.
Backup two: a taxi or ride-hailing car, about 35 km
Time About 35 to 40 min per routing apps, not officialFare Metered; ¥50–90 third-party reference range
- For a taxi, leave Terminal 3 through door 3 on the ground floor, turn left and walk about 50 metres to the boarding point across the road beside the transport enforcement post. Show the driver the Chinese characters for Yinchuan station.
- For ride-hailing, leave through door 3 on the ground floor, walk straight across the ground-floor footbridge and turn right into the ground transport centre, rather than joining the taxi queue.
- Ask for the meter, refuse any flat-price offer and keep the receipt with the cab number. Runs from the airport usually use the expressway, with the toll charged on top of the metered fare and 20 per cent added from 23:00.
There is no official airport-to-station reference fare or official distance. The ¥50 to ¥90 comes from third-party travel sites and the 35 to 40 minutes from a routing app, neither being official. Note too that the tariff was published as covering only the Xingqing, Jinfeng and Xixia districts, which excludes Lingwu where the airport sits.
Late-night and early-morning arrivals
Two clocks matter at night. The last train towards Yinchuan leaves Hedong Airport station around 22:42 per third-party timetables, service C8222 arriving 22:40 and departing 22:42, after which nothing else calls that evening; since the railway publishes a fresh diagram daily, confirm both figures on 12306 rather than trusting them. Coaches finish earlier still: the extension’s last departure is 19:30 under its 2019 figures, line 2 main service runs to 19:30 and line 3 stops at 17:00. If you still need a long-distance train that night, the only dependable answer is a taxi or ride-hailing car over roughly 35 kilometres, with 20 per cent added from 23:00, the 50 per cent empty-running surcharge past 10 kilometres and tolls on top — expensive, but it will not make you miss the train. Call 12328 if a driver refuses the trip or takes a detour.
Questions travellers ask
Yinchuan East looks closer to the airport — can I board there?
No, and this is not a temporary closure. The Yinchuan Yearbook lists the stations on the Yinchuan to Zhongwei section running outwards from Yinchuan station as Yinchuan East, Hedong Airport, Lingwu North and Wuzhong, adding that Yinchuan East is a passing loop while the others handle passengers, meaning it exists purely for overtaking moves. The city deferred building it in 2018, and the regional government told a resident that passenger volumes do not justify the station so it is not in the construction plan. There is no public transport there at all, so always use Yinchuan station.
What is the fastest way from the airport to Yinchuan station?
Follow the signs down the underground link: two to five minutes to Hedong Airport station below ground west of Terminal 3, then about 20 minutes riding to Yinchuan station, so under half an hour moving. The real variable is waiting, since a couple of dozen trains call each day with gaps often close to an hour, so which departure you catch matters more than which mode you choose — check that day’s services on 12306 first.
How much is a train ticket to Yinchuan station?
The published full second-class fare is ¥15, with market-based floating pricing putting same-day services anywhere from about ¥6 to ¥15 and occasional bargains at ¥6. Because 12306 publishes no official base-fare table for this section, this page quotes a range rather than a single price, and you should go by what the specific train shows when you buy.
How many trains a day run from Hedong Airport station to Yinchuan?
A third-party timetable updated in October 2026 lists 27 calling services, with the earliest towards Yinchuan around 08:03 on C8208 and the latest around 22:42 on C8222. This is not an official 12306 station timetable, and since the railway issues a new diagram daily the trains change from one day to the next. Third-party counts also disagree: one source quotes 81 services by counting both directions. Trust only what 12306 shows for your date.
Once I am at Yinchuan station, where can I go by train?
Yinchuan station is where the Yinchuan to Xi’an and Yinchuan to Lanzhou high-speed lines meet: south-east along the former gets you to Xi’an North, south-west along the latter to Lanzhou West, with Wuzhong and Zhongwei South among the intermediate stops. All those pairs can be searched and booked here, so there is no need to queue again on arrival.
Why book by telegraphic code rather than by station name?
Because Chinese station names are ambiguous: Yinchuan has both Yinchuan station and Yinchuan East, with the latter handling no passengers, and pinyin searches pull in other similarly named stops. The telegraphic code YIJ matches exactly one station, the working Yinchuan station, so searching by code never lands on a look-alike and never produces a ticket for a place you cannot board.
Is there a coach straight to Yinchuan station, and what does it cost?
Yes, but only airport bus line 2 extension, which calls at Yuehai Xintiandi en route and costs ¥20 per person for about 90 minutes. There are two prices to pay though: it is much slower than the main service because of that intermediate stop, and its published times still date from 2019, seven runs from the station and six from the airport, with nothing issued since. Ring 0951-6912480 or read the notices at the bay on the day.
How much is a taxi from the airport to Yinchuan station?
There is no official reference price. Under the 2023 tariff the flag fall is ¥9 covering 3 kilometres, followed by ¥1.50 per kilometre for engines under 1.6 litres and ¥1.70 for new-energy cars and cars of 1.6 litres and above, a 50 per cent empty-running surcharge per kilometre beyond 10, a 20 per cent supplement from 23:00 to 06:00, and expressway tolls paid separately. Third-party sites quote ¥50 to ¥90 and 35 to 40 minutes, which is not an official price.
Is the railway station actually inside the terminal, and how do I find it?
It lies below ground immediately west of Terminal 3 and opened on 29 December 2019. Follow the indoor high-speed-rail signs along the transfer-centre link for two to five minutes without stepping outside. Official descriptions of that link differ three ways: 68 metres from Lanzhou Railway as reported by The Paper, 80 metres from the on-site Lanzhou Railway signage saying the furthest point is about 80 metres and two minutes away, and 108 metres from Yinchuan News Network and People’s Daily, so this page simply says two to five minutes.
I land late and need to catch a train the same night — what should I do?
The last train towards Yinchuan leaves Hedong Airport station around 22:42 per third-party data, so confirm it on 12306 for your date; miss it and no rail option remains, since the line 2 extension stops running at 19:30. At that point a taxi is the only guaranteed answer: roughly 35 kilometres, with 20 per cent added from 23:00, the 50 per cent empty-running surcharge beyond 10 kilometres and tolls on top.