Three railway stations to open in Taicang

Phase one of the Shanghai-Nantong Railway will open to travellers in July, and three stations in Taicang, Jiangsu province – Taicang Railway Station, Taicangnan Railway Station, and Taicang Port Railway Station – are nearly completed, local media reported on June 8.

At Taicangnan Station, staff are already on duty, doing training drills and preparing for the grand opening.

"We removed the traditional glass window to shorten the distance and are offering traveller-oriented services. There are also plenty of ticket machines for travellers to obtain their tickets themselves," said Wang Xueming, director of Taicangnan Station.

Taicangnan Station is located west of Dongcang Road in the New Science and Education Town. There are still over 200 construction workers there, building supporting facilities to ensure the station will be operational on time.

Taicang Railway Station is an important stop on the Shanghai-Nantong Railway and has a large commercial area.

"Travellers can rest and eat at the station," said Qian Lijiang, director of Taicang Station.

Taicang Station is located in eastern Liuhe town. It is shaped like a giant boat. "Taicang is where legendary navigator Zheng He started his seven maritime expeditions along the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean to West Asia and Africa. That's why we chose this design," said Zhang Yunzhi, project manager of the construction team.

Taicang Station will also be opeational before July 1.

Taicang Port Station is designed for freight trains and covers an area of 320 mu (21.33 hectares). The station will consist of a 530,000-ton-capacity logistics center, a canteen, an inspection center, a dormitory, and other supporting facilities. The expected annual cargo throughput is about 27.79 million tons.

Statistics from the trail operation show that it takes 29 minutes to ride from Shanghai Rail Station to Taicangnan Rail Station, and 41 minutes from Shanghai Rail Station to Taicang Rail Station.