On the 30th, Shenzhen Futian Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway (hereinafter referred to as Futian Station), known as "Asia's largest underground railway station," officially opened for operation. How difficult is it to build Asia's largest underground railway station in the bustling downtown area of Shenzhen? How big is Asia's largest? The reporter takes you to unveil the mystery of this exemplary project in China's railway construction.
Highlight 1: How big is Asia's largest?
Entering the negative first floor of the station from the ground, the reporter's feeling was—spacious. Xue Weihe, deputy stationmaster of Shenzhen North Station, told the reporter that the total construction area of Futian Station is 147,000 square meters, equivalent to 21 football fields, only about 40,000 square meters smaller than New York's Grand Central Terminal.
In terms of structure, the three underground floors of the station are respectively—
Underground negative first floor: transfer level. Passengers can transfer to the subway or take buses and taxis here. Underground negative second floor: waiting hall. This floor has an area of 46,000 square meters, and the waiting hall is equipped with 1,200 seats, capable of accommodating 3,000 passengers. Underground negative third floor: platform level. There are 8 tracks and 4 platforms in total, where passengers can take high-speed trains to their destinations.
Highlight 2: Direct access by over 30 bus lines, transfer to 5 subway lines
Through the transfer hall on the underground negative first floor, Futian Station can achieve seamless interconnection and interchange between high-speed rail and subway, buses, and taxis. At present, more than 30 bus routes reach Futian Station, including 7 newly added originating routes.
According to the plan of the Shenzhen Municipal Government, a passage at the west side of the north end of the station allows transfer to Subway Lines 2, 3, and 11 (not yet opened), the east side leads to the Civic Center Station of Subway Line 4 (Longhua Line), and the south end directly leads to the Shopping Park Station of Subway Line 1 (Luobao Line).
Highlight 3: An exemplary project in China's railway construction
Due to its special nature, Shenzhen Futian Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway has always attracted much attention. China Railway 15th Bureau Group undertook the construction of the Yitian Road Tunnel project. The tunnel is 6,236 meters long and is one of the main projects of the "two tunnels and one station" of Futian Station and related projects. Zhang Hailiang, deputy general manager of China Railway 15th Bureau Group and project manager of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong project, said that the Yitian Road Tunnel runs through the bustling urban area of Shenzhen, crosses perpendicularly with the operating Shenzhen Subway Lines 1 and 3, is adjacent to more than 10 high-rise buildings of nearly 200 meters, has busy ground traffic, dense underground pipelines, and extremely strict requirements for surface settlement control. Carrying out large-span, large-volume deep foundation pit construction in such a complex environment, with high safety risks, technical content, and environmental protection requirements, and great construction difficulty and social impact, is rare among similar projects in the world.
"The successful completion and opening of Futian Station has also made it an exemplary project in China's railway construction, especially in the construction of large underground railway stations," said Zhang Hailiang.
Highlight 4: Laying the foundation for the "half-hour economic circle" of the Pearl River Delta city cluster
Futian Station is a controlling node project of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway, related to the success or failure of the entire project. After its completion and opening, the entire Guangdong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway has been completed.
Xue Weihe said that after the completion and opening of Futian Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Passenger Dedicated Line, it will further promote the integration of Hong Kong's lines into the high-speed railway network of mainland China, marking the imminent formation of a major transportation artery among the Pearl River Delta city cluster. It has important practical significance for further promoting personnel, economic, trade, and cultural exchanges between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao.
"In the future, when the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway opens, it will take only 15 minutes and 30 minutes to travel by high-speed rail from Shenzhen and Guangzhou to Hong Kong, respectively, forming a 'Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong half-hour economic circle,'" said Xue Weihe.