CHINA: The first stage of the entirelly underground Beijing Tongzhou main line station opened in the east of the capital city on December 30, creating a new interchange hub.
It opened along with a 7 km approach line from the east that links the underground platforms to the existing Beijing – Tangshan high speed line. This route opened in 2022 and avoids Tongzhou on the surface. Tongzhou functions as a terminus for now, used by inter-city services to and from the east, but its design provides for future through-running.
The complex already has a second set of underground platforms, which are to be used in the future by a new orbital railway route. This currently links Daxing Airport with Langfang Bei, and is to be extended northeast to Huairou Nan.
Interchange is provided to metro Line 6’s Beiyunhe Dong station via a 10 min walk. The station will also be served by the under-construction metro lines 22 and 101.
The complex also features a bus terminal, a large commercial or retail space, and waiting areas. It also has taxi and ride-hailing parking and drop-off facilities, and 880 parking spaces. A further 1 585 spaces for other micromobility modes including bicycles and bike-sharing are planned.
The opening of Tongzhou marks the completion of Beijing’s ’eight stations and two airports’ plan, making it the first city in China to have eight railway stations with the Class A designation for major hubs, and two large international airports.
- Learn more: The March 2026 issue of Railway Gazette International will include a breakdown of the latest round of Chinese high speed rail expansion.
