Enter the packed weight and outside dimensions
Test the packed bag, not its suitcase label
Check one passenger at a time. Include every bag assigned to that passenger; allowances are not pooled. The two filled bags are an example: replace their measurements with yours. Leave unknown measurements blank; zero is not a valid packed-bag measurement.
All entered rule checks pass. Space is not reserved; keep the bags under your control and follow crew placement instructions.
This tool checks published weight, size and handling inputs. It does not check prohibited items, reserve a rack, prove station lifts or confirm checked-luggage service.
The allowance has both passenger and item limits
| Test | Current rule | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| R1 · Ordinary passenger total | 20kg | This is the assigned total, not a 20kg allowance for every piece. |
| R2 · Child / diplomat total | 10kg / 35kg | Assign every bag to a passenger; no family-pooling entitlement was found. |
| R3 · Every carried item | ≤20kg | A 22kg bag fails even when another traveller has unused allowance. |
| R4 · G, D, C and other EMU services | L+W+H ≤130cm | Measure the outside including wheels and handles; suitcase inches are not the test. |
| R5 · Conventional mainland train | L+W+H ≤160cm | Rod-shaped items have a separate 200cm rule; this page does not generalise it to suitcases. |
| R6 · Required folding wheelchair / infant stroller | Outside the cited allowance | The exemption does not extend to ordinary bikes or personal wheeled devices. |
A baggage exemption does not reserve boarding help or a place to remain in the chair. Use the 12306 wheelchair assistance request pack when the traveller's transfer or station handoff controls the journey.
Checked luggage is a verified-station route, not a universal counter
Keep two services separate. Ordinary railway checked luggage follows the ticket, station and baggage rules below. The changing “high-speed convenient consignment” station-to-station or station-to-door product is a separate logistics service with its own live station list; its availability does not prove that an ordinary baggage counter exists for your route.
One consignment per ticket and route
The rule permits one consignment for the valid ticketed route; that means one consignment transaction, not necessarily one physical item. Both endpoint stations must handle baggage.
Per item
Maximum 50kg; outside L+W+H must be 60–200cm.
Per ticket
Under China State Railway Group Articles 67–68, the ordinary total is 50kg. When the consignment includes a wheelchair required for the traveller’s mobility, the per-ticket total may reach 75kg; this is not a 75kg allowance for one item, and each item still has the Article 67 ceiling of 50kg.
Identity
The ticket and valid identity document are checked; an agent also presents their own ID.
Timing
12306 says luggage generally travels on your train or is transported in advance; MOT Order 2023 No. 21, Article 32 also provides for the nearest suitable train. Your bag may arrive after you: avoid an immediate onward connection that depends on it and keep essentials with you.
Keep with you
Money, cards, documents, jewellery, fragile items, liquids and other excluded valuables do not belong in ordinary checked luggage.
Cross-border reversal
Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong trains keep the 130cm limit and do not handle checked luggage.
Four-step boarding plan
Measure the packed bag
Weigh it and add outside length, width and height. Screenshot the current rule and the result.
Resolve a failed result before the station
Repack, then verify the exact station pair in 12306 or with 12306/95572 before relying on consignment or shipping.
Separate valuables
Keep passport, money, cards, medicine, electronics and irreplaceable items with you.
Board without blocking shared space
Follow staff placement directions, label every piece and count the bags again before alighting.
Seven worked luggage decisions
One adult: 12kg/112cm + 8kg/95cm on an EMU
- Result
- CARRY. Both pieces are ≤20kg and ≤130cm; the assigned total is exactly 20kg. Storage space is still unreserved.
One 18kg airline suitcase measures 155cm
- Result
- REPACK or verify consignment/shipping. It passes weight but fails the 130cm EMU dimension sum.
Two adults have a 22kg bag and a 12kg bag
- Result
- REPACK. The 22kg item fails by itself; another passenger’s unused allowance does not repair it.
Two adults assign three bags: 15kg, then 10kg + 8kg; all ≤125cm
- Result
- CARRY on the written allowance. Piece count alone does not fail the cited test, but space remains unreserved.
One traveller has 23kg total and cannot lift the large bag
- Result
- Not CARRY. Repack below the passenger total and confirm handling assistance or ship; business class is not a lifting promise.
A traveller depends on a folding wheelchair
- Result
- The folding wheelchair is outside the cited allowance, while the remaining bags still run through every normal test.
A 145cm suitcase on a Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong train
- Result
- REPACK or ship before travel. The segment uses 130cm and does not offer checked luggage.
Five recovery cards
A bag fails before station day
- First action
- Remove valuables, repack and recalculate every piece.
- Alternative
- Verify consignment between the exact baggage-handling stations or use a live official station/door shipping route.
- Escalate
- Call 12306 or 95572 with exact stations, date, weight and dimensions.
Security refuses the bag or an item
- First action
- Follow the officer’s classification and protect the booked train.
- Alternative
- Ask which listed route exists there: send-back, check/consign, station storage or abandonment.
- Escalate
- Never hide the item or try another security lane.
No safe storage space after boarding
- First action
- Ask train staff where this specific item may be placed.
- Alternative
- Move it only to a staff-directed location and keep it identifiable.
- Escalate
- If safe placement remains impossible, follow crew instructions; no rack entitlement is promised.
The traveller cannot lift or transfer the bag
- First action
- Stop treating legal allowance as physical feasibility.
- Alternative
- Use confirmed assistance, a helper, smaller independently manageable pieces or shipping.
- Escalate
- Contact the exact station; do not buy a premium seat on an assumed luggage-help promise.
A carried bag is missing after alighting
- First action
- Report it immediately to train or station staff.
- Alternative
- Search and register it through the official 12306 lost-property route.
- Escalate
- Call 12306 with train, carriage/seat, date and bag description; no recovery time is promised.
Eight operational details we have not tested on the ground
Whether and how often a named station weighs or measures bags.
The X-ray aperture and manual-inspection route for the actual item.
Rack dimensions, end-of-car space and occupancy on the booked trainset.
A continuous elevator route from the arrival vehicle to the train door.
Whether premium-class or station staff will lift personal luggage.
Whether a station/door service accepts the traveller’s foreign phone, passport and card.
Which train a checked bag will use and when it will be available.
Whether staff at the exact station can assist in English.
Measure outside dimensions before choosing the station fallback
Put the bag on a scale, add length + width + height including wheels and handles, assign every piece to one passenger, and run the checker. If it fails, fix the bag before leaving the hotel.
Common questions
Can I take a 28-inch suitcase on a China high-speed train?
A suitcase-inch label is not the published test. Weigh the packed bag and measure outside length + width + height including wheels and handles. On a mainland EMU, every item must be no more than 20kg and 130cm, and the passenger total must also pass.
Can two travellers combine their 20kg allowances?
Assign every bag to a passenger and make each passenger total pass. The official rule is written per passenger and does not publish a family-pooling entitlement. An individual bag above 20kg fails regardless.
Where do I put a large suitcase on the train?
The rule requires the passenger to control and safely place carried items without affecting shared space or safety. This page does not promise an end-of-car rack, a free shelf or space on a particular trainset. Ask staff for placement instructions when needed.
Can I check a suitcase at every high-speed station?
No nationwide guarantee was found. Ordinary checked luggage is limited to baggage-handling stations and requires a valid ticket and identity document. Verify both exact stations before relying on it; convenient station-to-door services also use a changing station list.
Will checked luggage travel on my train?
Not necessarily. 12306 says luggage generally travels on your train or is transported in advance; MOT Order 2023 No. 21, Article 32 also provides for the nearest suitable train. Your bag may arrive after you, so do not plan an immediate onward connection that depends on it. Keep your passport, money, cards, medicine, documents and irreplaceable valuables with you.
Does a wheelchair have a 75kg single-item allowance?
No. Under the China State Railway Group rules effective 1 June 2026, a checked-luggage consignment that includes a wheelchair required for the traveller’s mobility may reach 75kg in total per ticket. Article 67 still caps each physical item at 50kg, and Article 68 permits one consignment transaction for the ticketed route rather than only one physical piece.
Does business class include suitcase lifting?
No reviewed official source promises that a premium seat includes personal-luggage handling. If lifting or stairs are a constraint, confirm help with the exact station or ship/repack the bag before travel.
Can I check a large bag on the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong train?
The current cross-border rule uses a 130cm item limit and says checked luggage is not handled. A bag that fails needs repacking or a pre-trip shipping solution.
Sources and limits
Rules rechecked 28 September 2026. Re-open the live station and service pages before relying on consignment, storage or assistance.
Passenger carry-on FAQChina Railway 12306 ↗Current carry-on weight and dimension rulesChina Railway 12306 ↗Checked-luggage conditionsChina Railway 12306 ↗Railway Passenger Transport Regulations — Articles 67–68, effective 1 June 2026China State Railway Group / China Railway 12306 ↗Railway passenger security inspection measuresMinistry of Transport ↗Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong carry-on rulesChina Railway 12306 ↗Live high-speed convenient-consignment station listChina Railway 12306 ↗Not tested on the ground: the exact station, carriage, lifting and foreign-user service handoffs.