How China Built the World’s Biggest Train Station – From Construction to Daily Operation

Imagine building a railway station so enormous that its roof alone covers around 120,000 square meters. A transportation hub with 15 passenger platforms, 29 arrival and departure tracks, multiple transportation levels, highways, metro connections, buses, taxis, parking facilities, and an enormous passenger hall, all squeezed into the dramatic mountainous landscape of Chongqing. This is not an airport. This is not a futuristic concept. This is Chongqing East Railway Station, one of China's newest transportation megaprojects. And the story of how engineers transformed a rugged mountainside into this enormous railway hub is almost as impressive as the station itself. Before construction could even begin, engineers faced their first major enemy, the terrain. Chongqing is famous for mountains, steep slopes, valleys, and dramatic changes in elevation. There was no perfectly flat piece of land waiting for a station this large. So the project began with thousands of measurements. Survey teams mapped the terrain, engineers drilled deep into the ground to understand the rock and soil, groundwater levels were studied, existing utilities were mapped, and a detailed digital model of the entire construction site was created. Only after the terrain, geology, drainage, and surrounding infrastructure had been understood could the transformation begin. Then came the earthworks. Excavators started cutting into the hills. Millions of cubic meters of earth and rock had to be excavated, transported, filled, graded, and compacted. Low areas were raised, high sections were cut down, railway yards were carved into the landscape, separate levels were prepared for the station, the transportation center, access roads, and future railway infrastructure. But simply cutting into a mountain creates another problem. The slopes have to remain stable, so engineers drilled anchors deep into exposed rock faces. Retaining walls were constructed, drainage channels were installed, culverts carried stormwater beneath transportation corridors. Slowly the rough mountainous terrain began transforming into a gigantic engineered platform. Then the real station started rising. Deep foundations were constructed beneath the terminal. Thousands of tons of concrete and reinforcing steel created pile caps, foundation beams, basement walls, underground technical spaces, elevator shafts, emergency stair cores, and transfer corridors. Above them the reinforced concrete frame began climbing level by level. Columns, beams, floor slabs, transfer structures, the scale became enormous. But the most recognizable feature of Chongqing East Railway Station was still missing. The roof. And supporting this enormous roof are some of the most striking structural elements in the entire station. Massive white branching columns inspired by the Huangjue tree, a symbol closely associated with Chongqing. These are not decorative trees, they are enormous structural supports. Steel trunks rise from specially designed foundations. Then they branch outward near the roof, transferring the loads from the gigantic steel structure above into the foundations below. Once these supports were ready, workers began assembling the long span roof. Massive steel trusses were lifted into position. Longitudinal girders connected them. Secondary steel members created an increasingly dense structural grid. Piece by piece, one of the largest visual elements of the entire station appeared above the city. Then came the silver metal roof. Its enormous horizontal shape stretches across the terminal, giving Chongqing East Railway Station its unmistakable appearance. Along its central axis are approximately nine elongated spindle-shaped skylights. These skylights allow natural daylight to penetrate deep into the gigantic waiting hall below. Roof drainage systems were installed, gutters, downpipes, waterproofing, skylight framing, glass, maintenance walkways. Then the enormous glass facades began enclosing the terminal. For the first time, the giant structure started looking like the station passengers would eventually see. But outside the terminal, another massive construction operation was taking place. The railway yards. Platforms were built across three major railway areas. Canopy columns rose above them. Steel beams connected the supports. Long roof sheets created protection for future passengers. Then engineers turned their attention to the tracks. Track foundations were prepared. Sleepers were positioned. Steel rails were installed. Rail sections were welded into continuous lines. Turnouts were added. Track geometry was adjusted with extremely high precision. Eventually, the station would contain 15 passenger platforms and 29 arrival and departure tracks. But rails alone cannot create a modern high-speed railway. The station still needed electricity. Catenary foundations were constructed. Masts were erected. Cantilever arms were attached. Messenger wires were stretched across the tracks. Then came the contact wires that would eventually supply power to the pantographs of high-speed trains. After that came signaling. Switch machines. Trackside signals. Interlocking equipment. Communication networks. Control systems. Every train movement would eventually depend on these systems working together perfectly. Inside the terminal, thousands of workers were simultaneously installing another invisible network. Electricity. Lighting. Air conditioning. Ventilation. Water. Drainage. Fire protection. Smoke extraction. Security systems. CCTV. Elevators. Escalators. Telecommunications. Kilometers of pipes, cables, ducts, and trays disappeared above future ceilings and behind architectural surfaces. Only after engineers inspected these systems could the final interior begin. The huge waiting hall ceiling was installed. Its sweeping curved surfaces transformed the raw structure into a modern passenger space. The floors were finished. The monumental Huangjue columns received their final architectural surfaces. Lighting was integrated into the hall. Seats appeared. Security equipment was installed. Passenger gates were positioned. Information systems were added. The transportation center was completed. Access roads and multi-level ramps received their final surfaces. Temporary construction facilities disappeared and landscaping transformed the surrounding construction site into a finished urban gateway. But the station still wasn't ready for passengers because building a station is only half the job. Everything has to be tested. Engineers commissioned the electrical systems. They tested elevators and escalators. Fire alarms were checked. Sprinklers and hydrants were tested. Smoke control systems were activated. Tracks and turnouts were inspected. Then came one of the most important moments. The overhead railway power system was energized. Signals and interlocking systems were tested. Routes were locked and Switches moved. Signals changed. And finally, after years of construction, a technical train entered Chongqing East Railway Station. For the first time, engineers could test the entire railway as one functioning system. Track. Catenary. Signals. Platforms. Control systems. Everything working together. After further testing, operational rehearsals began. Station staff practiced security procedures. Platform supervision. Passenger circulation. Emergency response. Control room coordination. Every detail had to work before the public arrived. And then came the moment the entire project had been built for. June 27, 2025. Chongqing East Railway Station officially entered commercial operation. High-speed trains rolled beneath the enormous platform canopies. Passengers crossed the giant waiting hall. Escalators carried travelers between different transportation levels. Trains arrived. Trains departed. Road traffic flowed through the multi-level transportation network outside. And the massive station became part of Chongqing's daily life. Day after day, morning sunlight pours through the giant skylights. At noon, the silver roof reflects the intense summer sun. During heavy rain, the massive drainage system carries water safely away from the station. At night, the enormous terminal glows against Chongqing's mountainous skyline as high-speed trains continue arriving beneath the illuminated platform canopies. What once was difficult mountainous terrain had become a gigantic transportation machine connecting railways, roads, urban transit, and millions of future journeys. And perhaps that is the most impressive thing about projects like Chongqing East Railway Station. The finished building looks almost effortless. But behind every platform, every column, every track, every skylight, every skylight, and every departing train are years of surveying, excavation, concrete, steel, engineering calculations, testing, and thousands of people working together. From a mountainside to one of China's most impressive new railway hubs. This is Chongqing East Railway Station. If you enjoy seeing how the world's most incredible megaprojects are actually built, subscribe to the channel right now, turn on notifications, and join us for the next engineering journey. Because around the world, engineers are building structures that once seemed impossible. And here, we're going to uncover how they built them. Thanks for watching. Subscribe, and I'll see you in the next megaproject.