China - Kazakhstan Trains

Two scheduled pairs of trains, K9795/K9796 and K9797/K9798 ( (Numbered as 53/54 in Kazakhstan) are running between China and Kazakhstan:

K9795/K9796 operated by China run between Urumqi and Almaty (Alma-ata) via Khorgos and Altynkol ports;

K9797/K9798 operated by Kazakhstan run between Astana and Urumqi via Dostyk and Alashankou ports;

In summer, more trains may be operated between the two countries on a daily basis. 
 

Open Date: 1992
Distance: 1,048 kilometers (651 miles)
Ticket fare: CNY 1,041 for a soft sleeper
Via ports: Khorgos Port in China and Altynkol Port in Kazakhstan
Operator: China Railway Bureau
 

From	To	No.	Duration
Urumqi	Almaty	K9795 departs on Saturday and Monday weekly and arrives on Monday and Wednesday respectively.	25h45m

 

From	To	No.	Duration
Almaty	Urumqi	K9796 departs on Tuesday weekly and arrives on Wednesday.	23h31m

Note: The above tables were valid before the suspension of the trains in 2020. 
 Open Date: 2008
Distance: 1,898 kilometers (1,179 miles)
Via ports: Dostyk Port in Kazakhstan and Alashankou Port in China
Operator: Kazakhstan Railway Bureau
 

From	To	No.	Duration
Urumqi	Astana	K9797 departs on Monday weekly and arrives on Wednesday	38h22m

 

From	To	No.	Duration
Astana	Urumqi	K9798 departs on Saturday weekly and arrives on Monday	39h39m

 

	Soft Sleeper	Hard Sleeper
In China	CNY 955	CNY 597
In Kazakhstan	CNY 1,000	CNY 625

Passengers can purchase, change or refund tickets at ticket window no. 12 in Urumqi Railway Station, or at the Asia - Europe Hotel International Transport Ticket Office. Tickets of K9795/K9796 can also be purchased at ticket window no. 1 in Khorgos Railway Station.
 
For individual passengers, the international train tickets are usually open for sale 30 days prior to departure, but for group passengers over six, tickets are buyable 60 days in advance. When buying tickets, passengers need to provide valid passports and visas.

For K9795/K9796, ticket selling stops 90 minutes before departure. However, for K9797/K9798, ticket issuing stops 2 days before departure.
See details of Purchase an International Rail Ticket
 As the first trains operated between China and Kazakhstan since 1992, K9795/9796 used to run to Almaty via Alashankou, which ran for a distance of 1,359 kilometers (844 miles) and took over 30 hours. Also, passengers needed to transfer to Kazakhstan trains after entering the country. However, since October, 2017, along with the change of rail route, the distance is shortened to 1,048 kilometers (651 miles) and the journey time is greatly reduced to 23.5/25.5 hours. Passengers also do not need to change trains anymore. Five carriages provide 168 soft sleeper berths in total, so passengers had better book tickets as early as possible. This saves a lot of time and all-soft-sleeper trains ensure passengers a more comfortable and pleasant trip.
 K9797/9798 (or no. 53/54 in Kazakhstan) was first opened in 2008. Passengers need to change trains when entering or exiting the border of Kazakhstan. A total of 260 berths are provided for passengers’ convenience, while only 20 of them are soft sleeper berths.
 1. Passengers need to apply for a Chinese or Kazakhstan visa in advance before entering either country.
2. Traveling by China - Kazakhstan international rails provides passengers a good chance to appreciate the scenery along this way. Passengers can not only see the vast desert, but also see many lakes which look pretty beautiful at dawn or dusk.
 
Other International Trains between China and nearby Countries

K23/K24: Beijing - Ulaanbaatar	K27/K28: Beijing - Pyongyang	T8701/T8702: Nanning - Hanoi
4652/4653: Hohhot - Ulaanbaatar	Z5/Z6: Beijing—Hanoi	K19/K20 Beijing - Manzhouli - Moscow
K3/K4 Beijing - Ulaanbaatar - Moscow	Erlian - Ulaanbaatar	D87/D88: Kunming - Vientiane

 International railways under construction/planning from China to: