The Beijing Fengtai railway station, which is located at Zhengyang Avenue, in the Fengtai District of southern Beijing, in China, is ready for opening after undergoing reconstruction.
The Fengtai station was opened in 1898 as a small passenger and freight transportation railway station. It used to offer passenger services to Shanghai, Taiyuan, and Guangzhou, until closure to passengers in June 2010 to facilitate the reconstruction and modernisation.
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Reconstruction of the station commenced in September 2018 and was completed in April 2022. Spanning 398,800m² (4.29 million ft²), the reconstructed station is claimed to be Asia’s largest railway station and among the most important transportation hubs in Beijing. It has a capacity to handle 14,000 passengers.
The new station joins other major railway stations in Beijing including Beijing railway station, Beijing North, Beijing South, Beijing East, Beijing West, and Xinghuo. It will serve as the new gateway to the capital city.
Design of Beijing Fengtai Railway Station
The main structure and frame of the railway station comprises 352 steel pillars. The station features a floating cruciform roof structure, below which a grey terracotta facade is incorporated to connect the modern structure to the historic Beijing cityscape.
It has an urban character, mainly due to the large public squares to the south and north, and elevated tracks to the east and west.
The station design incorporates pedestrian flows with shopping areas.
Beijing Fengtai Railway Station features
The new station is the first double-deck station in the country, serving both high-speed and regular train operations.
Located between Beijing’s West 3rd Ring Road and West 4th Ring Road, the station features seven floors, three of which are underground, while the remaining four are above ground. It has 17 platforms and 32 railway tracks.
The station will provide intercity and suburban railway services. It will also serve high-speed trains running on the Beijing-Kowloon, Beijing-Guangzhou, and Beijing-Shijiazhuang lines.
It is connected to subway lines 10 and 16 to enhance passenger convenience. Furthermore, 166 elevators and escalators were installed as part of the renovation.
The station also features supporting facilities such as a back-turning section and a passenger car servicing depot.
Construction of the Beijing Fengtai Railway Station
Ground excavation works as part of the reconstruction project began in December 2018 while structural work on the station started in April 2019.
Construction of phase one of the north district, and the Beijing-Guangzhou, and Beijing-Shanghai lines of the conventional railway network were finished in August 2020.
The structure in the first phase of the southern district, as well as other major components of the project, were finished in April 2021.
The main structure of the station was capped in May 2021. The works included the excavation of 1.67 million m² (17.97 million ft²) of earthwork and pouring of 810,000m³ of concrete. The project also involved the installation of 140,000t of steel bars and 190,000t of steel structures.
The station redesign and renovation were undertaken after the completion of the main structure.
Contractors involved
China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC), a state-owned company, was responsible for the construction of the rebuilt Beijing Fengtai railway station.
Canny Elevator, a professional elevator manufacturer based in China, was contracted to provide elevators and escalators for the new station. gmp, a German architectural firm, provided the station design.
Jingye Group, a steelmaker and multi-national conglomerate, based in China, supplied steel for the station’s main structure and frame.
HBIS Group, a steelmaker based in China, supplied steel for the construction of the station. ABB was selected to provide a low voltage distribution solution for the station.
China Architecture Design and Research Group (CADG) was engaged to perform pedestrian simulation research to optimise the design and construction of the new station. It used Bentley Systems’ LEGION software to prepare the pedestrian and simulation model.
Benefits
The Fengtai railway station is aimed at reducing congestion at Beijing South and Beijing West railway stations. It will provide connectivity to the Xiong’an New Area and improve regional integration of Beijing with Tianjin and Hebei.
The project is also expected to ease traffic congestion in northern Beijing.
