Shanghai South Railway Station

This article is about the railway station. For its nearby metro station named "Shanghai South Railway Station Station, see Shanghai South Railway Station (Metro).

Shanghainan 上海南
File:Shanghai South Railway Station 01.jpg Shanghai South (Shanghainan) Railway Station
Other names	Shanghai South
Location	Laohumin Lu, Xuhui District, Shanghai China
Coordinates
Operated by	Shanghai Railway Bureau
Line(s)	Shanghai–Kunming Railway Shanghai–Hangzhou Passenger Railway
Platforms	11 (5 island platforms, 1 side platform)
Connections	Metro station Bus terminal
History
Opened	1908 (former address) 2006 (current address)
Closed	1937 (bombed by the Japanese)

File:上海南火車站-大堂.JPG

Lobby of the South Station

Shanghai South Railway Station, also Shanghai South Station (Chinese: 上海南站; pinyin: Shànghǎi Nánzhàn), is a railway station in the city of Shanghai, China. Located in the Xuhui District, its importance is second only to the Shanghai Railway Station. After extensive renovation that was finished in 2006, the station features a modern circular design, the first of its kind in the world. The station was expected to handle 15 million passengers annually.

Shanghai South Station serves most trains to cities of Zhejiang (including Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Ningbo, Jinhua and Wenzhou) and the Southern provinces of China, excluding the Shanghai-Hong Kong Route. Without a Customs/Immigration checkpoint it is not capable of clearing passengers straight to Hong Kong; until such a checkpoint is constructed the Shanghai-Kowloon Through Train will continue to depart from Shanghai Railway Station.

History

Shanghai South Railway Station was originally constructed in 1908 as the terminus of the Shanghai-Hangzhou railway line. In 1937 during the Battle of Shanghai, part of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese advanced towards the station in an action known as Bloody Saturday. The fighting destroyed the building and killed many Chinese civilians; a photograph showing a crying Chinese baby among the ruins became Time's image of the year.

An extensive redesign has been carried out until 2006 by AREP (Paris), ECADI (Shanghai) and MaP3 (structural engineer - Paris), making the new station the world's first circular railway station. With the reopening, two minor Shanghai railway stations have been closed: Shanghai West Railway Station in Putuo District and Meilong Station near Jinjiang Park. All railway connections of these stations have been moved to Shanghai South Railway Station, and according to estimates, up to 40% of passengers of Shanghai Railway Station will be diverted to the new station.

A station fire occurred on April 24, 2010 at 4 pm that was extinguished in 30 minutes.

Station

The Station is located in the southwestern part of Xuhui District, occupying sixty hectares of land. Contrary to most Chinese railway stations, which are overcrowded and regarded as unsanitary and unpleasant by many, the new look of South Station has a very clean, airport-like look and feel. The station itself is elevated 47 meters above ground and has a diameter of some 270 meters. It is made out of polycarbonate and aluminium sunblades, and supported by 18 branch-shaped beams resting on 3 columns each. The steel structure weight is 6000 T, for 56 000 square meters, and a 150 m maximum span. The steel structure was built by Shanghai Jiangnan shipyard and erected by SMCC.

File:Shanghai South Railway Station Ticket Office.JPG

Ticket office at the South Station.

The trains arrive below the waiting areas, which are not interrupted by the structure itself, which is roughly divided into three levels. The mid-level contains the station platforms, at the same rough height as ground level, and contains thirteen tracks and six passenger platforms. The VIP waiting section and the Public Security Office is also on this level. In addition the mid-level has direct access to the northern and southern squares. The upper level is the departure level. With a circumference of over 800 meters, the waiting area can fit over 10,000 passengers at any given time. Passenger tickets are also validated in this area. The lower level is the arrivals level, which contains various tunnels to exit the station and the waiting area of the Line 1 and Line 3 in the Shanghai Metro system. In the future it will also contain a transfer tunnel to the newly opened L1 Line as well as access to long-distance and tourist buses. The underground level of the North and South Squares has various commercial establishments and a parking lot.

The Soft Seat waiting area requires a Soft Class train ticket to access. The seating in the area is generally more comfortable, and it is an enclosed area, with security personnel on shift at the entrances. The regular waiting area is in the middle of the station, and can house thousands of passengers. The VIP waiting area is only accessible with special identification, such as diplomatic documents.

Shanghai South Railway Station is serviced by Shanghai Metro Line 1 or Line 3 via the interchange station of the same name, which is within walking distance of the train station. Transfer corridors in the station building allow indoor transfer between the train station and the metro station.

See also

• Bloody Saturday (photograph)
• Rapid transit in the People's Republic of China
• Shanghai, Shanghai North, Shanghai West and Hongqiao Railway Stations
• Wuhan Railway Station, Qingdao North Station

References

Sources

• Shanghai Delta news
• Circular station is centre of attraction
• Shanghai South Railway Station

External links

• Shanghai Train Guide - Timetables & Tips & Routes & Schedule

Preceding station		China Railway		Following station
Terminus		Shanghai–Hangzhou Passenger Railway Part of the Shanghai–Kunming Passenger Dedicated Line		Songjiang South towards Hangzhou
Terminus		Shanghai–Kunming Railway		Songjiang towards Kunming
Preceding station		Shanghai Metro		Following station
Terminus		Jinshan Railway		Xinzhuang toward Jinshanwei