Airport ↔ rail connections
Wuhan Tianhe International Airport武汉天河国际机场
Wuhan Tianhe (WUH) has its railway station directly under the T3 transport centre, about four minutes from arrivals following the “railway station” signs. From there it is 12 minutes to Hankou station (¥8) and 35 minutes to Wuchang (¥15). Wuhan Metro Line 2 shares the same building and reaches Hankou railway station in 40 minutes (¥7). Tickets can be booked on traintickets.travel.
Airport → city by rail
Metro Line 2 (airport extension)
~40min · Hankou Railway Station · estimate
Tianhe Airport → Hankou Railway Station
- Fare
- Full fare ¥7
- First / last
- First 06:00 (06:30 weekends), last 23:00
- Headway
- Every 5–8 minutes
- Interchange
- Hankou Railway Station: change to high-speed rail · Xunlimen: Line 1
- Level
- Inside the T3 transport centre alongside the intercity station
The last service reaches the airport around 00:44; Optics Valley Square is about 60 minutes away. The ¥7 fare is the full-journey single fare.
Getting from the plane onto a train
Two options: downstairs to the intercity station for high-speed trains, or upstairs to Metro Line 2 for the city — both inside the same building.
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Level 1 arrivals at T3, then four minutes
From the arrivals gates, follow “railway station / intercity” down to the transport centre concourse. It is all indoors with lifts and escalators, and easy with luggage.
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Tickets: unreserved, tap and go
Intercity tickets are sold per service with no reserved seating — counters, machines and 12306 all work, and you can enter on your ID card alone.
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Do not mix up Wuhan’s stations
The intercity serves Hankou and Wuchang. For Wuhan railway station (WHN) take the free air-rail shuttle, available with a flight ticket plus a train ticket within 48 hours.
Wuhan · The network
- Lines in service
- 13
- Stations
- 301
- City fares
- ¥2+
- Operating hours
- 06:00–23:00
From plane to train
Follow these steps in order. Every one of them happens indoors — there is no shuttle bus.
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Land and collect bags
Through the arrivals doors at T3 Level 1, the “railway station” signs run the whole way.
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Four minutes down to the intercity concourse4 min
All indoors — no going outside, no shuttle bus.
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Twelve minutes to Hankou12 min
Hankou connects to the Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu and Beijing–Guangzhou corridors, with easy metro interchange.
Airport → railway station
Tianhe Airport Railway Station sits inside the terminal.On 12306 it is listed as “天河机场”.
Tianhe Airport Railway Station
12min · Hankou Railway Station
The railway station is inside the terminal — no shuttle, no stepping outside.
- Level
- Under the T3 transport centre — about 4 minutes on foot following “railway station”
- Scale
- Wuhan–Xiaogan intercity, through-running onto the Wuhan–Shiyan HSR; about 35 trains a day
- Rail lines
- Wuhan–Xiaogan intercity railway, through-operated with the Wuhan–Shiyan high-speed line
| To | Time | 2nd class | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hankou Railway Station | 12 min | ¥8 | — |
| Wuchang Railway Station | 35 min | ¥15 | — |
| Wuhan East Railway Station | 63 min | ¥23 | — |
| Xiaogan East Railway Station | 17 min | ¥17 | Eastward on the Wuhan–Xiaogan intercity line |
International passengers
240-hour visa-free transit
- 240-hour visa-free transit
- Wuhan Tianhe International Airport is one of the 65 ports of entry listed for China’s 240-hour visa-free transit policy (National Immigration Administration), covering 24 provincial-level regions
- Length of stay
- 240 hours
- Eligible countries
- 57 countries
- Area
- Hubei province Cross-province travel is allowed within the permitted areas of those 24 regions — most are covered province-wide, while Sichuan, Guangxi, Shanxi, Jiangxi, Heilongjiang and Yunnan are limited to listed cities.
- Conditions
- Limited to nationals of the 57 eligible countries holding a passport valid for at least three months, plus a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region departing within 240 hours; fill in the temporary arrival card and clear immigration on arrival. The 240 hours run from 00:00 the day after entry. Tourism, business, family visits and similar activities are allowed, while work, study and news reporting still require a visa obtained in advance.
24-hour direct transit
Wuhan Tianhe International Airport is one of ten Chinese airports running the 24-hour direct-transit procedure (since 5 November 2025): travelling on an onward international ticket within 24 hours without leaving the airport, you may transfer here without going through border inspection.
Where you can fly
International, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan
Other ground transport
| Airport buses | Time | Fare | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airport bus | 60 min | ¥20 | Runs daily from 08:30 until the last flight, roughly every 30 minutes, using 48-seat coaches. Line 1: Hankou Railway Station ¥12, Wuchang Railway Station ¥20, plus intermediate stops from ¥10. Line 2: Wuhan Railway Station ¥45, other stops ¥10–20. Buy at doors 9–10 (T2, Level 1) or inside door 12 (T3), or via the “天河畅行” mini-program. |
| Free air-rail shuttle (airport ↔ Wuhan Railway Station) | — | ¥0 | With a flight ticket plus a high-speed or intercity train ticket within 48 hours you can ride the direct airport ↔ Wuhan Railway Station shuttle for free. Board at the third airport-bus bay outside Door 12 on Level 1 of T3, running 09:25–17:55 (hourly off-peak, every 30 minutes at peak); you must first register in person at the airport bus service desk inside Door 12 on Level 1 of T3 (or inside Door 9 at T2), open 08:30–18:30. After the last direct run, eligible passengers can travel free from 18:15 on airport bus Line 2, which runs until the last flight. |
Taxi
Around 30–40 minutes to central Wuhan (Hankou / Wuchang); third-party travel sites quote ¥80–130, which is a reference range and not an official fare. The run uses the S18/S19 airport expressway and tolls are extra. Use only the official taxi queue or the designated ride-hailing pick-up zone.