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(rshsdepot) Shanghai, China
From the China Daily.
Bernie Wagenblast
Transportation Communications Newsletter
_http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications_
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications)
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Spectacular Station Prepares for Opening
By Miao Qing
SHANGHAI: After four years of hard graft Shanghai's spectacular South
Railway Station is making final preparations for opening next month.
The building is the latest in a string of architectural wonders in the city,
and can claim to be the world's first circular station.
The station's energy-saving translucent dome is set to become an iconic
transport hub for road, rail, metro and maglev passengers.
The South Railway Station (including the waiting hall, two squares and other
supporting buildings) covers an area of roughly 600,000 square metres, while
its waiting hall covers 60,000 square metres.
"We made the waiting hall circular in order to closely connect it with
nearby transport facilities and to separate passengers from vehicles" said Zheng
Gang, an architect from the East China Architectural Design & Research
Institute who is involved in the station project.
The aim of the project, he said, was to build a "comprehensive
transportation system" that would allow passengers to flow between different modes of
transport as easily as possible.
The station, in Shanghai's southwest Xuhui District, west of the Huangpu
River, will become the city's second busiest station. As well as serving
existing rail and metro lines, it will be linked to a newly-opened coach station.
Space has also been set aside for the planned Shanghai-Hangzhou maglev line
that will pass through the station, and piles have already been driven to
support the train's magnetic rails.
Although the striking dome will likely become the focus of attention, much
effort has also gone into subterranean development of the site.
At 200,000 square metres, the network of transfer passages, car parks and
shops underneath the train platforms is China's largest- ever underground
project, and accounts for around two thirds of the station's total floor area.
As well as integrating transport networks and speeding passenger flow, the
new station is expected to promote the local service industry and improve links
between Shanghai and other cities in the Yangtze River Delta, especially
those in neighbouring Zhejiang Province.
"Railways are the most fundamental part of China's overall transportation
system, so Shanghai South Railway Station is likely to become a significant hub
in the Delta area," said Xu Changle, head of the Yangtze River Delta
Development Institute under East China Normal University in Shanghai.
Connected to the Shanghai-Hangzhou expressway and only 5 kilometres from
Xujiahui, a fast-developing commercial area of the city, the station will
provide improved access to Shanghai's downtown area from Zhejiang Province and
southern Jiangsu Province.
"We want to create a much bigger Xujiahui radius here. We want to attract
more visitors and funds by offering more convenient transportation and easier
access," said Yuan Shaoyu, director of the news office of Xuhui District
government.
The government aims to expand the scope and influence of the Xujiahui
commercial area through the operation of the new station, Yuan said, predicting the
station would stimulate trade between Shanghai and other southern and
coastal areas of China.
Increased passenger flow would also benefit businesses around the station,
giving a particular boost to the tourism and service industries, he said.
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #1369
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org