China to Build World’s Biggest Train Station at Great Wall

Chinese officials announced plans to build the world’s deepest and biggest high-speed train station located at a popular point at the Great Wall. The plans are in part preparations for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The station will be located at Badaling, the most popular section of the Great Wall, just 50 miles northwest of Beijing. The site sees around 30,000 tourists in just a single day during the Chinese New Year holiday week, according to the China National Tourism Administration.

“The Badaling station will be located 102 meters (335 feet) below the surface, with an underground construction area of 36,000 square meters (387,501 sq feet), equal to five standard soccer fields, making it the deepest and largest high-speed railway station in the world,” Chen Bin, director in charge of construction for China Railway No 5 Engineering Group, told the People’s Daily newspaper.

The station will link a railway network that runs to the cities of Beijing and Zhangjiakou, which is playing host to the Olympics. The new line will run through the mountains and under the Great Wall, which will require advanced technology to ensure the UNESCO World Heritage site does not undergo any damage.