The north station building of Harbin railway station was put into service on Aug 31, marking the completion of the first phase of the railway station reconstruction project.

Harbin railway station, which consists of the south and north station buildings, is undergoing its fourth period of reconstruction.

The north station building, along with the square in front of the building, will take over all the functions of the south station building until construction work is finished in 2018.

The newly-opened north station building has various interesting new features including European-style facades with rectangular windows and white decorations. The building is in a typical European architectural style, which has attracted comment from passengers using the new station.

The station building also utilizes an advanced security check system with the use of facial recognition technology, which is only used in first-tier cities in China.

To provide better services for passengers, two shuttle bus lines connecting Longmen Building and Hushi Building to Harbin north station have been launched. The frequency of the shuttle buses will depend on passenger flow.

Harbin coach station has also set up a ticket booth and a free shuttle bus in the north square of Harbin station for passengers who need to transfer between trains and buses.

According to the reconstruction plan of Harbin railway station, construction of the south station building and the square in front of it will begin soon.

When the two are finished in 2018, the north and south station buildings will be linked by a waiting hall that measures 185-meters long and 112-meters wide. The two station buildings will accommodate around 20,000 passengers in total, doubling the current waiting room capacity.

Harbin railway station will become a transportation hub for the northern part of the Northeast China region when the whole station commences operations, according to an insider from the railway bureau, as the high-speed railway line linking Harbin to Dalian and Qiqihar, and the railway lines connecting Harbin with Mudanjiang and Jiamusi will all start from Harbin railway Station. A railway network centered around Harbin will gradually take shape, and the journey times from Harbin to the main cities in Heilongjiang province will not exceed two hours, which is expected to play an important role in boosting economic development in Heilongjiang.

Passengers in the waiting room of the north station building of Harbin railway station on Aug 31. [Photo/MY399.COM]

Passengers board trains at the newly-opened Harbin railway station on Aug 31.[Photo/MY399.COM]

Passengers board a shuttle bus operating between the north square of Harbin railway station and Hushi Building on Aug 31.[Photo/MY399.COM]