Improving passenger experience and addressing current flaws in station design are the key takeaways from plans for Nanjing North Railway Station just released. But delays are pressuring the delivery of that set to be the largest railway station north of the Yangtze in Jiangsu in just a few years.
刚刚发布的南京北站规划的主要内容是改善乘客体验并解决目前车站设计的缺陷。但延误给江苏长江以北最大的火车站在短短几年内的交付带来了压力。
The plans have recently emerged as part of an announcement as to the “Regulatory Detailed Planning for Nanjing North Station Hub Economic Zone”. Therein, it is revealed that construction on Nanjing North shall begin in the first half of next year.
近日，《南京北站枢纽经济区控制性详细规划》公布。其中透露，南京北将于明年上半年开工建设。
And that’s the first thing to note; another delay. It was initially envisaged that Nanjing North would begin operations in 2025. Then there was the announcement, reported by this publication in February of this year, that construction of the Station building itself was tentatively planned to commence during the 4th quarter of this year.
这是首先要注意的事情；又一次延误。南京北站最初预计将于2025年开始运营。今年2月，本刊报道称，站房建设暂定于今年第四季度开始动工。
Neither happened, but nevertheless, the current design plan has now entered its review stage, to be sent to the China Railway Group in the near future, as Nanjing Daily reported today, 17 November.
这两件事都没有发生，但正如《南京日报》今天（11 月 17 日）报道的那样，目前的设计方案现已进入审查阶段，将在不久的将来发送给中国中铁集团。
Looking to the plan in detail, the departures area is being referred to as an “Ecological Hall”, and if the renderings of the space are anything to go by, that is exactly what it is. Then there comes its overall interior aesthetic, where the word to be used is undoubtedly, “clean”. When it’s full of several thousand passengers waiting for a train is sure to put a dent in that, but points are worth being awarded for effort in that department.
从详细的平面图来看，出发区被称为“生态大厅”，如果从空间效果图来看的话，那就是“生态大厅”。然后是它的整体内饰美学，其中使用的词无疑是“干净”。当数千名乘客等待火车时，这肯定会造成影响，但在该部门的努力是值得奖励的。
When it comes to connections with the Metro network, “extensive” is now the word to use, for Nanjing North is to provide links with no less than five lines; namely Lines 3, 4, 15, 18 and S4; surpassing Nanjing South, with its paltry four lines.
说到与地铁网络的连接，现在用“广泛”这个词，南京北就是提供不少于5条线路的连接；即3、4、15、18、S4号线；超越了南京南的区区四线。
Designers also appeared to have learned from the misery which commuters at Nanjing South experience daily, transferring between Lines 1 or 3 and Lines S1 or S7, given the 8 minute walk that entails.
设计师们似乎也从南京南通勤者每天在 1 号线或 3 号线与 S1 或 S7 号线之间换乘的痛苦中吸取了教训，因为步行需要 8 分钟。
At Nanjing North, metro users shall be able to reach the elevated-waiting hall vertically through multiple sets of escalators, greatly shortening transfer distance.
在南京北，地铁用户可通过多组自动扶梯垂直到达高架候车厅，大大缩短换乘距离。
According to the plan, the Station’s expected long-term, annual-passenger volume shall be 36.5 million, making it the largest hub station in Jiangsu north of the Yangtze River, dethroning current position holder, Xuzhou East, to second place.
根据规划，该站远期预计年旅客吞吐量3650万人次，成为江苏省长江以北最大的枢纽站，取代目前排名第二的徐州东站。
Speaking to that passenger experience, alert readers who regularly take a train in China out of any rail hub will be acutely aware of the inherit flaw that has been inherited by China’s liking for real name authentication and security checks when entering a station, and the compressing of people into a small place that is the result.
说到乘客体验，经常在中国任何一个铁路枢纽乘坐火车的警惕读者都会敏锐地意识到，中国进站时喜欢实名认证和安检的遗传缺陷，以及由此导致的人被压缩到一个狭小的地方。
Unlike other stations all designed before such requirements were, not just put in place, but also just technically possible, Nanjing North is addressing the issue. There, a new concourse will realise a spacious area between 25-60 metres deep that can emphasise the Station’s green credentials and provide a better passenger experience from the outset of their journey.
与其他在此类要求之前设计的车站不同，南京北站不仅是在落实到位，而且在技术上也是可行的，南京北正在解决这个问题。在那里，一个新的大厅将形成一个25-60米深的宽敞区域，可以强调车站的绿色资质，并从旅程一开始就为乘客提供更好的体验。
But what, of course, everyone wants to know is when will it all be over. Zhang Yong, Deputy Minister of Planning, Land & Resources with the Jiangbei New Area Hub Office, told reporters that Nanjing North is planned to be opened for operation simultaneously with the North Riverside High Speed Railway by the end of 2027.
但当然，每个人都想知道的是这一切什么时候才能结束。江北新区枢纽办规划国土资源部副部长张勇告诉记者，南京北计划于2027年底前与北滨高铁同步开通运营。
That gives the construction team a little less than 4 years to have it sorted. No mean feat, given that Nanjing North is set to be 637 metres long north-south, and 710 metres east-west, by some measures even bigger than Nanjing South.
这使得施工团队有不到 4 年的时间来完成清理工作。这绝非易事，因为南京北南北长 637 米，东西长 710 米，从某些角度来看甚至比南京南还要大。
