From 28 December 2017, travellers of selected nationalities are able to utilise the 144-hour transit when travelling on this line to or from Beijing, providing that they clear immigration in Beijing.[1]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, services to Hong Kong has been suspended indefinitely since 30 January 2020. There has been no plan to resume its service, even after the end of the pandemic. After the resumption of train services suspended due to COVID-19, this series of train services only retain the itinerary within mainland China (Beijing-Guangzhou) and no longer operate the itinerary to Hong Kong.
On 9 August 2022, the train Z97/98 was suspended due to the construction of the Guangzhou Baiyun railway station, which opened in December 2023.
On 4 June 2024, China Railway announced that the services from Beijing and Shanghai to Hung Hom will be replaced by high-speed sleeper trains to West Kowloon station.[2] The train number renamed from Z97/98 to D909/910(Later renamed to G897/898 on 30 September 2024). The Beijing West railway station port is closed officially on 5 July 2024.[3]
Carriages
The train operated in two parts, where 11 carriages would depart Hong Kong (travelling under number Z97B from Beijing and Z98B from Hong Kong) with an additional 8 carriages added at Guangzhou East railway station (using number Z97A/Z98A), totalling 19 carriages. Along the route, trains stopped at Changsha, Wuhan and Zhengzhou, though only passengers travelling from Guangzhou might disembark due to customs and immigration reasons.
The Hong Kong to Beijing section of the train was divided into three distinct classes – hard sleeper, soft sleeper and luxury soft sleeper (catering only to two persons, with better furnishing and private lavatories). The Guangzhou to Beijing section of the train only had hard sleepers and hard seats.
Dining services were provided by the Guangshen Railway Company. Passengers may choose to buy from carts which are pushed throughout the train at different intervals, or choose to dine in the dining car. The dining car provided a selection of light refreshments, along with two sets of menus (one for breakfast, and one for lunch/dinner) providing a range of cooked, a la carte dishes.
On the ticket availability board in Beijing West railway station, the Beijing–Kowloon through train was numbered as P97 to distinguish it from the train going to Guangzhou East.
Ticketing
Beijing-bound passengers from Hong Kong could order tickets from an online reservation system operated by the MTR Corporation. The system was limited to the one-way, Hong Kong to Beijing trips only.[4] Ordering of tickets required extensive registration, including a credit card number, and tickets could only be delivered in the Hong Kong SAR, which made it impossible for most non-HK resident customers to order. Travellers for Beijing may purchase northbound tickets at a dedicated counter at Hung Hom station, whilst southbound tickets from Beijing to Hong Kong coild only be purchased in Beijing or from travel agencies.
Service
Passengers departing from or arriving at Hong Kong could embark or disembark from platforms 5 or 6 of Hung Hom Station, which was restricted to intercity operations. Prior to boarding, passengers must go through Hong Kong immigration counters and cannot exit the restricted area.
Check hall for Beijing–Kowloon through train at Beijing West railway station.
The platform area for the Kowloon section of train Z97 in Beijing West railway station is temporarily designated as boundary restricted area and guarded by police before departure.
Trains used platform 1 of Beijing West railway station, which was connected to the check hall for this particular through train service. Passengers coming from or going to Hong Kong clear Chinese immigration and customs in the hall. The part of the platform between the hall and the passenger cars for Hong Kong is cordoned off by police.[clarify]
Trains operate from either terminating stations on an alternate schedule, under the following timetable:[5]
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