Chengdu Shuangliu (CTU) to the city and to Tianfu
Metro Line 10 serves both terminals with first trains at 06:11 and last at 23:28, and Line 19 runs from here to Tianfu airport in about half an hour. The metro entrances are in the car parks, not the halls.
- Shuangliu stayed open. When Tianfu opened in 2021 the old airport kept operating, and Chengdu runs the pair as one system.
- Metro Line 10 serves both terminals. First train from Terminal 1 at 06:11, from Terminal 2 at 06:14; last at 23:24 and 23:28 towards Xinping.
- The entrances are in the car parks. At Terminal 1 it is outside exit 04 on the arrivals level (1F), inside the T1 car park; at Terminal 2 it is passages L2, L3 and L4 on level B2.
- Line 19 links Shuangliu to Tianfu in about half an hour, on a 160 km/h line the provincial government calls the fastest urban rail line in China.
- Airport bus night line 5 does the same journey by road, hourly from 00:00 to 05:00 for CNY 25.
- Metro day tickets are CNY 20 for one day, CNY 50 for three and CNY 70 for five, with no limit on rides or distance.
- Check which airport you are flying from. International services moved to Tianfu in March 2023; domestic flights are split.
- The last Line 10 train leaves at 23:28 and the last Line 19 trains at 23:30 towards Tianfu and 00:16 towards Jinxing, after which the night buses are the option.
Which airport are you at
- Chengdu has two international airports and both are busy. Tianfu opened in 2021 and took the international flights in March 2023, but Shuangliu remained a major domestic hub rather than closing.
- They are run as a pair. Sichuan's own phrase is "two airports as one", and the transport between them is built for it.
- So confirm your terminal from your booking, not from memory or an old guide.
The metro
- Line 10 calls at both Shuangliu terminals.
- Terminal 1: first train 06:11, last 23:24. Terminal 2: first 06:14, last 23:28. Those are the departures towards Xinping; in the other direction, towards Wuhouci, Terminal 1 is 06:03 to 23:15 and Terminal 2 06:00 to 23:12.
- Finding the entrance is the fiddly part. At Terminal 1 it is outside exit 04 on the arrivals level (1F), inside the T1 car park. At Terminal 2 it is reached through passages L2, L3 and L4 on level B2, at exits B and C of the metro inside the T2 car park.
- Day tickets are good value: CNY 20 for a day, CNY 50 for three days, CNY 70 for five, unlimited in rides and distance.
Getting to Tianfu
- Metro Line 19 connects the two airports in about half an hour, running at 160 km/h.
- The Sichuan provincial government calls it the fastest urban rail transit line in China, which is the reason a cross-city airport transfer here is a metro ride rather than an expedition.
- Airport bus line 5 runs the same connection by road, hourly from 00:00 to 05:00 for CNY 25, which matters because the metro shuts around midnight.
Late and early
- Nothing on the metro before six in the morning or after about half past eleven at night, except the last Line 19 train towards Jinxing, which leaves Terminal 2 East at 00:16.
- Night bus line 5 runs from here to Tianfu from 00:00 to 05:00, so an overnight connection between the two airports is possible without a taxi.
- Buses depart as soon as they fill rather than strictly to time.
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