Chongqing East Railway Station, Spanning 1.22 Million Square Meters, Officially Opens

Chongqing, China – The city of Chongqing has officially inaugurated its new Chongqing East Railway Station on June 27, 2025, a landmark transportation hub described by social media personality Mario Nawfal as a "sci-fi masterpiece with space-age design, glowing ceilings, and enough style to make bullet trains feel slow." This opening marks a significant advancement in China's high-speed rail infrastructure, solidifying Chongqing's position as a key regional nexus.

The newly opened station is touted as the largest high-speed rail hub in western China, covering an expansive area of 1.22 million square meters, equivalent to approximately 170 standard soccer fields. Its futuristic architectural design, inspired by Chongqing's mountainous landscape, features rhythmic water-drop skylights and robust tree-shaped pillars that illuminate its grand scale. The station boasts 15 platforms and 29 lines, designed to handle a peak hourly passenger throughput of 16,000.

Chongqing East Railway Station is set to integrate seven high-speed railways and two ordinary railways, establishing a "1-3-6 hour" high-speed rail circle. This network will enable travel to major cities such as Chengdu and Guiyang within one hour, Changsha, Wuhan, and Xi'an within three hours, and Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen within six hours. Additionally, four metro lines (Lines 6, 8, 24, and 27) directly connect to the station, ensuring seamless transfers for passengers.

The station's strategic importance extends beyond regional connectivity, serving as a pivotal node in national development strategies like the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. Officials project an annual passenger flow exceeding 100 million and anticipate the station's vicinity will attract over 200 corporate headquarters, fostering significant economic growth. The facility also incorporates sustainable design, built to the highest Green Building Label standard, with a rooftop photovoltaic system expected to generate 14 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually, reducing carbon emissions equivalent to saving about 5,000 tons of coal each year.

The station's innovative design aligns with Chongqing's reputation for unique urban infrastructure, which includes monorail lines passing through residential buildings and some of the world's deepest metro stations. This latest addition further enhances the city's distinctive blend of modern engineering and challenging topography, reinforcing its status as a futuristic metropolis.