K23/K24 — Beijing to Ulaanbaatar
Running again since June 2025.
Key facts
- Route
- Beijing → Ulaanbaatar
- Distance
- 1,400+ km
- Journey time
- ≈30 h
- Frequency
- Twice weekly in each direction — Tuesday from Beijing, Thursday from Ulaanbaatar
- Gauge / border
- Erlian (二连浩特), China → Zamiin-Uud, Mongolia
- Classes
- —
- Tickets
- China International Travel Service (CITS) counters for the international sector
- Visa
- A Mongolian visa or visa-free entry is needed; rules depend on nationality.
Timetable
Outbound
Beijing → Ulaanbaatar
| Station (EN) | 中文站名 | Arrive | Depart | Stop | km | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing | 北京 | — | 07:27 | — | — | Departs Tuesdays |
| Shalingzixi | 沙岭子西 | 10:40 | 10:50 | 10 min | — | In the 12306 table; not mentioned in the 2025 resumption reports |
| Jining South | 集宁南 | 15:27 | 15:43 | 16 min | — | — |
| Erlian | 二连浩特 | 20:18 | 00:59 (+1) | 4 h 41 min | — | Bogie exchange and Chinese exit |
| Zamiin-Uud | 扎门乌德 | 01:25 | 02:40 | 1 h 15 min | — | Mongolian entry |
| Ulaanbaatar | 乌兰巴托 | 14:35 | — | — | 1553 | About 31 hours end to end |
Return
Ulaanbaatar → Beijing (listed from the destination back to the origin)
| Station (EN) | 中文站名 | Arrive | Depart | Stop | km | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulaanbaatar | 乌兰巴托 | — | 07:30 | — | — | — |
| Zamiin-Uud | 扎门乌德 | 18:50 | 20:35 | 1 h 45 min | — | — |
| Erlian | 二连浩特 | 21:00 | 02:00 (+1) | 5 h | — | Bogie exchange and Chinese entry |
| Jining South | 集宁南 | 06:37 | 06:55 | 18 min | — | — |
| Shalingzixi | 沙岭子西 | 11:09 | 11:15 | 6 min | — | — |
| Beijing | 北京 | 14:35 | — | — | — | — |
Schedule verified: 2026-10 · Sources: China International Travel Service (CITS) international ticket counters, checked 2026-10; China Railway 12306 (official English site), checked 2026-10; Mongolian visa-free list for 34 countries, valid to 31 December 2026
How to buy
The international sector is sold offline through CITS. The domestic Beijing–Erlian leg can be bought on 12306 as an ordinary domestic ticket — it is not the cross-border ticket.
We do not sell this ticket. Our team can queue at the counter or brief you on the visa and border steps — the ticket itself is issued by the railway or by CITS.
Visa & boarding
A Mongolian visa or visa-free entry is needed; rules depend on nationality.
- Mongolia grants 30-day visa-free entry to nationals of 34 countries until 31 December 2026
- Chinese passport holders travel under the bilateral arrangement between the two countries, not the 34-country list
- Check your own nationality before buying — the train staff and the border do not handle visa applications
At the border
- Gauge change at Erlian on the China–Mongolia border
- The Beijing–Erlian domestic leg is a separate 12306 ticket; the cross-border ticket is bought at a CITS counter
- Bring the passport used for the ticket — it is checked at Erlian and at Zamiin-Uud
Related international trains
Need help with this route?
We arrange group tickets (10 or more), counter purchases and visa or border briefings. Tickets are issued by the railway, 12306 or CITS — we assist, we do not issue them ourselves.
Contact the booking team →