Asia’s largest passenger railway hub starts operation in Beijing

This photo taken on June 17, 2022 shows a service center inside Beijing Fengtai Railway Station in Beijing. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING – The largest passenger railway hub in Asia was put into operation Monday in Beijing as a four-year reconstruction breathes new life into the Chinese capital's oldest railway station.

With a gross floor area of nearly 400,000 square meters, or 56 standard football pitches, Beijing Fengtai Railway Station has 32 rail tracks and 32 platforms and is able to accommodate a maximum of 14,000 passengers per hour.

With a gross floor area of nearly 400,000 square meters, or 56 standard football pitches, Beijing Fengtai Railway Station has 32 rail tracks and 32 platforms and is able to accommodate a maximum of 14,000 passengers per hour

Located in southern Beijing's Fengtai District, the time-honored station was built in 1895 and used to provide both passenger and freight services until its closure in 2010. Reconstruction of the station kicked off in 2018.

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In addition to accommodation expansion, the station has a new look with many traditional Chinese architecture designs.

It is also the country's first railway station featuring a double-deck structure that serves both high-speed and regular train services. There is also a metro station under the railway station, enabling convenient transfers.

The station's operator said it would put 120 trains into service for the preliminary stage of the railway station's operation. 

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