Xian North Railway Station

Xian North Railway Station is the main high-speed railway hub of Xi’an and one of the largest high-speed railway stations in Asia. Purpose-built for China’s rapidly expanding high-speed rail network, it serves as the primary gateway for travelers arriving in or departing from Xi’an by bullet train. For most international visitors traveling between major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Luoyang, Zhengzhou, and Lanzhou, Xi’an North Railway Station is the station they are most likely to use.

As the hub station, Xian North Railway Station covers an area of 336,600 square meters. It is 12 km away from the Xian downtown, 21 km from Xianyang City, and 20 km from Xian Xianyang International Airport. In its planning area, it is a large comprehensive transportation hub combining railway passenger transport, long-haul highway passenger transport, urban rail transit, bus, taxi and social vehicles.

Since Jan. 1st, 2011, Part of the platforms of the Xian North Railway Station begin to put into operation. When the whole station opened to operation, the passenger sending from the station will reached 68,700,000.

Basic Information

By 2018, it will send 13,000,000 passengers each year with 36,000 passengers each day. The passegner in peak hrs will be 8600/h. By 2028, It will sending 18,000,000 passenger the whole year. And the statition will be the south and north bidirectional passenger station with two-way station square.

Overall Station Layout: Clear and Logical Three-Level Design

Although Xian North Railway Station is huge, its layout is surprisingly logical and easy to navigate once you understand the basic structure. The key design concept is:“Three parallel station yards below, with one massive waiting hall spanning above them.”The entire station is organized vertically into several clearly defined levels.

1. Elevated Level (L2): Main Waiting Hall

The elevated level is the main waiting hall of Xian North Railway Station and serves as the core area for entering the station, waiting for trains, and using on-site commercial services. The hall stretches about 550 meters from east to west.

The main station entrances and the integrated service center are located on the south side of the hall, close to the metro exits. The central part of the hall is a large waiting area with good natural lighting, designed to accommodate a high volume of passengers comfortably. Along the north side of the waiting area, directly above the three station yards below, are a total of 34 ticket check gates arranged on both the A and B sides.

There is a clear and practical rule to the numbering of the ticket check gates: gate numbers increase from east to west, with smaller numbers on the east side and larger numbers on the west side. In general, gates 1–8 correspond to the Zhengzhou–Xi’an yard, gates 9–16 serve the Datong–Xi’an yard, and gates 17–18 are used for the Xi’an–Chengdu yard. Commercial and dining facilities are mainly located in the middle of the waiting area and along both sides of the hall, making it convenient to find food and shops while waiting for departure.

2. Platform Level (L1): Train Boarding Area

After passing through the ticket check gates, passengers take escalators down to the platform level to board their trains. Each platform is clearly numbered, and travelers can simply follow the platform number shown on their tickets, such as “Platform 8,” to find the correct boarding location.

3. Underground Level (B1): Exit and Transportation Transfer Hub

This level is crucial for arriving passengers. All passengers getting off trains are guided down to a wide east–west underground exit corridor, which connects directly to all transportation options.

How it works:

1. Passengers leave the platform and enter the underground passage
2. Ticket exit gates are located on the south side of the corridor
3. After exiting, you enter a large transportation hall

The transfer layout is extremely clear, with large illuminated signs above each area indicating different directions. The south side of the hall, directly opposite the exit gates, leads to the station halls for Metro Line 2, Line 4, and Line 14 (the Airport Intercity line), which is the most direct route for metro transfers. The north side connects to the taxi pickup area via a long passageway. The east and west sides, as well as the central areas, lead to bus terminals in both the East and West Squares, long-distance coach stations, parking areas for private vehicles, and designated ride-hailing pickup points.

4. Metro Platform Level (B2 and Below)

This level contains the actual metro platforms for each subway line serving the station. Elevators and escalators connect all underground levels, making the station friendly for travelers with luggage.

Transportation Tips

Subway

► Line: No. 2 Subway Line
► Operating range: Xian North Railway Station - Conference and Exhibition center (extending to Wiqu South Station after the 2 stage of the project)
► Stops: North Railway Station - Beiyuan- Sports Park - Administration Center - Fengcheng Five Road - Municipal Library - West of Place of Tang Dynasty - Longshouyuan - Anyuan Gate - North Big Street - Bell Tower - Yongning Gate - Nanshao Gate - Stadium - Xiaozhai - Weiyi Street - Conference and Exhibition Center
► Operating Time: 06:30 - 21:30
 

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