Beijing South Railway Station

The current Beijing South Railway Station (zh-c|c=北京南站) is a new and massive railway station on the south side of Beijing that opened on August 1, 2008. The new station replaced the old Beijing South Station, also known as the Yongdingmen Railway Station before 1988, which stood 500 m away and operated from 1897 to 2006. [ [http://english.people.com.cn/200605/11/eng20060511_264791.html "Farewell, centenary Beijing South Railway Station", "People's Daily"] May 12, 2006] The new Beijing South Station, reportedly the largest in Asia, joins the Beijing Railway Station and the Beijing West Railway Station as the third major passenger rail hub in the Chinese capital. [ [http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/6457863.html "South station on track to impress" "People's Daily Online"] July 24, 2008] It will serve as the terminus for high-speed trains to the city, including the Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Rail, which can reach speeds above 346 km/h. [ [http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=&id=7b8a749a-402d-403d-a624-d8930991c290&&Headline=Aboard+the+Beijing+Bullet%2c+lessons+for+Delhi&strParent=strParentID Patil, Reshma, "Aboard the Beijing Bullet, lessons for Delhi" "Hindustan Times"] Aug. 3, 2008]

Design and construction

The enormous oval-shaped station was designed by the UK/Hong Kong architecture firm of Terry Farrell and Partners in collaboration with the Tianjin Design Institute. [ [http://www.tfpfarrells.com/projects/masterplanning/mp_beijingSouth.php "Beijng South Station" "tfpfarrells.com"] accessed Aug. 4, 2008] It was built from more than 60,000 tons of steel and 490,000 cubic meters of concrete by 4,000 workers in less than three years. The glass ceiling is outfitted with 3,246 solar panels to generate electricity. The structure spreads out like a ray or trilobite and covers 320,000 square meters, more than the Beijing National Stadium's 258,000 msup|2. [ [http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/6457863.html "South station on track to impress" "People's Daily Online"] July 24, 2008] Its 24 platforms have the capacity to dispatch 30,000 passengers per hour. [ [http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=583&storycode=3117184&c=1 Spring, Martin "The best china: 10 of the most spectacular new Chinese buildings" "Building"] July 4, 2008.] The 251,000 msup|2 waiting area can accommodate 10,000 passengers.

Local Transportation

The Beijing South Station is accessible by public bus, including Routes 300 and 458, and taxi. Subway Lines 4 and 14, currently under construction, will have underground stations beneath the railway station.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/azchael/sets/72157603379711705/ Photos of the reconstruction 2007-2008]