Xi'an - Zhangjiajie Train

The running distance between Xi'an and Zhangjiajie is as long as 1,052 km (653 mi). By far, there is no direct train connecting the two cities. Passengers need to make a transfer at Changsha South or Changsha Railway Station, taking at least 7 hours in total.
  Operated at: Xi'an Railway Station, Changsha Railway Station, Changsha South Railway Station, Zhangjiajie West Railway Station
 Duration: at least 7 hours
 Distance: 1,052 km (653mi)
 Major stations along the way:
Xi'an - Changsha: Huashan North, Sanmenxia South, Luoyang Longmen, Zhengzhou, Xuchang East, Zhumadian West, Xinyang East, Wuhan, Yueyang East...
Changsha - Zhangjiajie: Gushan, Jianshan, Yiyang South, Hanshou, Changde, Taoyuan, Niuchehe...
 After taking a Xi'an North to Changsha North bullet train, passengers can choose to take a Changsha South to Zhangjiajie West train or a Changsha Railway Station to Zhangjiajie West, whichever has a closer departure time.

Route	Schedule	Duration	Fare
Xi'an North – Changsha South	10 pairs bullet trains from around 07:30- 14:01	5 - 6.5h	CNY 547.5 - 664.5 for a second class seat
Changsha South - Zhangjiajie West	8 pairs bullet trains from 06:55 - 18:33	3 - 3.5h	CNY 261.5 - 288.5 for a second class seat
Changsha – Zhangjiajie West	About 29 pairs from 06:53 - 21:20	2 - 2.5h	CNY 151 - 166 for a second class seat
Total	---	7 - 10h	At least CNY 698.5

Given that the above option is accepted by the passengers, a transfer between Changsha South Railway Station and Changsha Railway Station is needed. Luckily, there is metro line 2 connecting these two important stations directly. The ticket costs CNY 3 and the duration is around 30 minutes.
  Plan A: direct; 10h6m; CNY 848

Train No.	Stations	Duration	Fare
G824	Xi'an North - Changsha South 10:14 - 16:15	6h1min	CNY 586.5 for a second class seat
G689	Changsha South - Zhangjiajie West 17:00 - 20:20	3h20min	CNY 261.5 for a second class seat

 Plan B: transfer; 8h34m; CNY 792.5

Train No.	Stations	Duration	Fare
G520	Xi'an North - Changsha South 07:30 - 12:32	5h2min	CNY 626.5 for a second class seat
G5884	Changsha - Zhangjiajie West 14:08 - 16:04	1h56min	CNY 166 for a second class seat

 To transfer, passengers need to take Changsha Metro Line 2 from Changsha South to Changsha Railway Station, taking about 30min and CNY 3.
 On the southeast of the railway station lies a bus station. From there, passengers can take coaches to the scenic area directly. There are many coaches frequently operated between these two places. The duration for the journey is about 40 minutes and the ticket fare is CNY 12 per person.
 Taking flights is the most convenient way for passengers to cut their time spent on transportation at present. From Xi'an to Zhangjiajie, all flights have a stopover in a third city during the off season, taking at least 5 hours. The ticket price of an economy seat ranges from CNY 500 - 1,300. However, there may be direct flights during peak tourist season. 

 Major Rail Lines from Xi'an to: