Northernmost high-speed railway station being built

Li Dao'en is proud of being able to contribute to his hometown by taking part in the construction of China's northernmost high-speed railway station－Yichun West Railway Station－in Yichun, Heilongjiang province.

"I am also looking forward to the completion of the Harbin-Yichun high-speed rail line, which will bring more benefits to local residents, including me," said the 53-year-old construction worker.

"Then we will only spend two hours traveling to the provincial capital Harbin. Now we need at least seven hours."

The largest station on the Harbin-Yichun high-speed rail line, construction started on Aug 24 in Yichun's Wucui district.

With a floor area of nearly 20,000 square meters, the station is designed to accommodate up to 1,500 passengers waiting at the same time, according to China Railway Harbin Group.

Due to the location's high latitude, construction workers have to face a series of difficulties, such as extremely cold weather, strong winds and complex geological landscapes, according to experts from China Railway Construction Group Co.

"To minimize the influence of the winter recess period on the construction schedule, we have planned to optimize the platform canopy of the whole railway station," said Zhang Guoping, head of the project. "Factory-produced canopies will be installed at the station, instead of casting them on the construction site.

"Factory-produced components can greatly improve construction efficiency," he said.

"Furthermore, the canopies have a more exquisite appearance."

In Heilongjiang, China's coldest province, the mercury can easily drop as low as-20 C, and sometimes to-30 C, during winter.

Island-shaped permafrost zones are distributed along the rail line, while the permafrost layer at the construction site of Yichun West Railway Station is 2.9 meters thick, resulting in poor stability and making construction difficult.

"To tackle the problem, the group and a team led by Ling Xianzhang, a professor with the Harbin Institute of Technology, have developed new technologies to solidify soil and thus prevent and control damage from permafrost," said Zhang. "It will also provide valuable experience for the construction of similar projects in China."

Construction of the 300-kilometer Harbin-Yichun rail line started in April 2021. It is China's northernmost high-speed railway.

With a designed speed of 250 km/h, the line will reduce travel time between Harbin and Yichun. There are nine stops along the line that passes through several major cities, including Suihua.

Together with the previous Harbin-Qiqihar, Harbin-Mudanjiang, Harbin-Jiamusi and Mudanjiang-Jiamusi lines, the rail network is expected to accelerate regional economic development and meet the demand for a better travel experience, the group said.

Located in the Lesser Hinggan Mountains, Yichun is one of the largest forest cities in the world, and with forest coverage of more than 84.7 percent is often called "the forest capital of China".

"Yichun's natural landscape attracts many visitors each year and I believe there will be more after the operation of the new high-speed rail line," said Li. "I have planned to renovate my empty house in a rural area into a farmhouse restaurant to receive tourists from across the country."