David Feng 🚄
@davidfengtrains
Trains, Urbanology, Green mobility, Sustainability, Infrastructure | Switzerland, China | 625'000+ km Trains globally on all continents. Never stop believing in your microphone foam covers. Swiss. Also ► @davidfeng.social
That is indeed what AI has now officially termed my #BigSquish mic right by Tallawong station… 😂
Also had a chance to check out the closest equivalent of ‘national rail’ although much of these are intra-state only, TfNSW Sydney Trains services. Did one to Chatswood, one of the most amazing and totally effortless rail/metro cross-platform interchanges ever. Design deserves a standing ovation.
Bloody shit itself. Met mate (Aussie) who was pretty much like me into Trains or something. Tried out the Sydney Metro. Although will be doing much more of this network tomorrow, today’s trips saw some epic mic drop stations like here at Central station in the dead centre of town. Epic beyond words.
Done it: One Swiss passport, all continents. (Except Antarctica; the Americas counted as one.)
Station expansion. I don’t always use Yangquan North railway station but I remember it had “just” two platforms: 1 and 2. They’ve since added a part for Platform 3, as well as the all-new platforms 4 and 5. These stations you think are in the middle of nowhere — are growing. #Chunyun
The future of multimodal transport integration. You don’t have to go to Xiongan or Shenzhen for this. The almost under-recognised Yangquan East station in Shanxi has one entrance, one security checkpoint, then you can immediately choose — coaches or trains. It’s that simple. #Chunyun
Shijiazhuang still has a lot of potential. It’s a busy hub but maybe almost not as busy as its full potential. In particular, the east-west 250 km/h line is seeing visibly less trains than the north-south 350 km/h line. #Chunyun
Closing out the first day of #Chunyun with a High Speed service at the double-decker Beijing Fengtai railway station. The rest will be a little fragmented, but here’s what I found of particular note…
Gates 4 and 5 for trains to Central Yangquan. Mine will use Gate 5. #Chunyun
Big waiting room for trains to/from Central Yangquan at Yangquan East, here at Yangquan North station. Delightfully empty — hey, I’m Swiss! I value peace and quiet, actually. 🤣 #Chunyun
Those going to/coming from Yangquan East will use Entrance/Exit 2. A hint… once you complete Security here go through the entry gates so you get to use the big waiting hall. It’s huge… otherwise you are “stuck” at the ticket hall “only”! #Chunyun
Entrances at Yangquan North… pay close attention! With very few exceptions, the vast majority of High Speed trains use Entrance/Exit 1 for Platforms 1-3… #Chunyun
Fitting for the lunar new year of the horse they have a horse and rider at the station square of Yangquan North station… #Chunyun
…a new suburban railway route to Central Yangquan. This goes for 36 km taking 28 minutes. Not as fast as High Speed but far more predictable than road traffic, to be honest. #Chunyun And yes, I will be travelling on THAT for a look at Central Yangquan.
The ticket office is now one of these new integrated service centres at Shijiazhuang North. Visible improvement. #Chunyun
In the publicity video you can see clearly the two separate station buildings. They’re only connected inside the paid area. The north building is new. #Chunyun
Passport readers now integrated at the ticket check-in gates too. Big improvement. Thing is, though, they need to accept non-Chinese passports! #Chunyun
What used to be separated waiting halls is now under one roof — and in a BIG hall. Big improvement, Shijiazhuang North. #Chunyun
Big upgrade to the ticket machines at Shijiazhuang North… they now *FINALLY* have a passport reader. However they seem to support merely Chinese passports, certainly for now… #Chunyun
There is futureproofed access here to Shijiazhuang Metro Line 5. Once that opens a few years from now, all of the city’s main rail hubs — Main, North, and East — will be connected by Metro. #Chunyun
It’s not an all-new station — but it looks brand-new… the epic Shijiazhuang North upgrade. #Chunyun
Quick briefing… Next up: Shijiazhuang North railway station. I hear it’s been redone — big time! #Chunyun
