Xiamen railway station is an exception from the typical arrangement of rail services in Fujian's cities, in that it combines both "traditional" passenger trains and high-speed (D-series) trains at a single downtown location.

Since 2010, this has been the southern terminal of the Fuzhou–Xiamen railway (Fuxia), with frequent D-series trains departing to Fuzhou (via Quanzhou and other coastal cities), some of them continuing north to Wenzhou, Ningbo, Hangzhou and Shanghai Hongqiao.

On June 29, 2012, the new Longyan–Xiamen railway (Longxia) opened as well, with frequent D-series trains connecting Xiamen with Longyan (with stops in Zhangzhou and Nanjing County).

Numerous conventional (K-series) trains connect Xiamen with major cities throughout China's interior.

They have traditionally left the city via the Yingtan–Xiamen railway, although some (those with destinations in southern China) may have been now switched to the faster Longxia line.