The south station building of Harbin Railway Station will be put into service by the end of 2018. It will mark the completion of the railway station reconstruction project.

Harbin railway station, which consists of the south and north station buildings, is undergoing its fifth period of reconstruction since 1955.

Reconstruction of the station started in March 2017, in a bid to improve the station’s facilities and restore the historical features of the station when it was established in 1899.

Currently, the north station building along with the square in front of the building, takes over all the functions of the south station building until construction work is finished by the end of this month.

When the south station building is put into use, 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 cover an area of around 73,624 square meters, with the capacity of accommodating around 15,000 passengers in total.

It will also have four service counters, 41 self-service ticket machines, 33 ticket windows, and 27 security check systems with facial recognition technology and 48 self-service check-in machines.

To provide better services for passengers, VIP waiting rooms, nursing areas for mothers and babies, and a self-service temporary ID card processing machine will be set up.

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 their journeys from the 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 be under two hours, which is expected to play an important role in boosting economic development in Heilongjiang.

Harbin Railway Station in 1989 [Photo/db.com.cn]

 The north station building of Harbin Railway Station in 2018 [Photo/db.com.cn]

The south station building of Harbin Railway Station under constructions. [Photo/db.com.cn]