Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, March 1 (Reporter Zhang Xiao) The first ray of sunshine in the morning is like sounding the "construction call". About 30 kilometers east of Tiananmen Square, more than 32 meters underground, more than 3,000 builders flocked to the construction site and quickly disappeared. This surprised the reporter: "Where have people gone?" It is because of the large size of this project and the construction is scattered.

Internal construction scene of the comprehensive transportation hub of Beijing Urban Sub-Center Station. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ju Huanzong

Looking at the building area, it has more than 7 Beijing South Stations and is the largest underground comprehensive transportation hub in Asia.

In terms of functional complexity, it integrates 2 intercity railways, 4 urban subways, 1 suburban railway, 15 bus lines, and has the functions of a city terminal, and even reserves 1 pier.

In terms of planning, it is a model work of innovative design in my country with the concept of "station and city integration". All traffic functions are arranged underground, and only 10 "Beijing sails" are exposed on the ground, returning more space to the city.

It is the comprehensive transportation hub of Beijing Urban Sub-Center Station - a super infrastructure that has been efficiently built for more than five years, with more than 10,000 people participating in the construction during peak hours, and will be basically built by the end of this year.

After more than 1,900 days and nights, when the project progressed to this point, there was only one keyword that belonged to Lu Gaofeng, deputy general manager of Beijing Investment Hub Management Company: fight!

Lu Gaofeng (middle) coordinated the construction progress on site. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Zhang Peng)

Meet Lu Gaofeng and make an appointment to be in the eastern square of the hub to be built in June. This is the hub "vibration center", where people can stroll, play and see the scenery regardless of travel or not. As the "commander-in-chief" on the hub construction site, Lu Gaofeng believes that the goal of hub construction is not just completion, but to be user-oriented and build a hub that satisfies the people. It is not easy to achieve this goal.

Since construction started in 2019, the construction of the hub has been struggling. To build a traditional ground station, you must first dig soil and then build a roof slab, but this is the "underground hub ground city". You must "cover excavation and reverse production". First build a 12,000-ton steel beam to complete the roof slab, and then excavate downward layer by layer. The earth excavation volume is about 14 million cubic meters, equivalent to 7 Kunming Lakes.

The vision of the comprehensive transportation hub of Beijing Urban Sub-Center Station. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Zhang Peng)

The groundwater level in Tongzhou District is high, and the canal water is wrapped in quicksand to impact the foundation piles, which easily creates safety hazards. The builders built a "ground-connected wall" with a length of 2.7 kilometers and a width of 0.5 kilometers, and combined with the "water-stop curtain" at the bottom, forming a "big water basin" that diverts the underground water in the area to the designated area to extract it; the smart construction platform analyzes the data feedback from 3,200 sensors in real time, and ultimately controls the impact of the project on the settlement of surrounding railways, subways, and communities at the millimeter level.

Building the iconic "Beijing Sail" roof is a race against time and technology. The main sails of 7 pieces of "Beijing Sail" are the upper layer, and the lower layer is the "lighting bubble". The special ETFE film is thermally insulated, thermally insulated, stable and durable. By accurately "grasping" light transmittance and heat conduction, natural light pours down, which can reduce heat radiation by 5.2 million kilowatt-hours per year, which is equivalent to saving the summer cooling capacity of 3,200 household air conditioners.

Design drawing of the comprehensive transportation hub of Beijing Urban Sub-Center Station. Xinhua News Agency reported

Entering the main underground station building of the hub. For the functions inside the station, the builders know it well: the first floor underground is the catering and commercial area and the shuttle station; the second floor underground is the train, subway station hall and rail transit transfer area, with an average transfer time of only 3 minutes; the third floor underground is 32 meters deep, which are intercity transportation and urban rail transit station platforms and tracks respectively.

In order to realize the "station-city integration" function, the hub has more than 100 entrances and exits, 60 of which are directly connected to the ground buildings. Nearby residents can take the elevator from their doorstep to the hub station hall floor, and experience it is very "silky"...

The picture shows the iconic "Beijing Fan" roof of the comprehensive transportation hub of the Beijing Urban Sub-Center Station. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ju Huanzong

"Being able to participate in the construction of major national projects is a rare historical opportunity. Every construction worker must work with responsibility and mission, and must show the best state." Lu Gaofeng said that at present, the hub is promoting equipment installation, decoration and decoration, and operations and investment work are also being carried out simultaneously.

From 6 o'clock in the morning to 6 o'clock in the evening and sunset, many of these builders who "look at the stars in the morning and evening" every day are still sticking to it. Based in Beijing and radiating to Tianjin and Hebei... A new lifestyle and travel method is coming quickly: starting from the hub, reaching Beijing Capital International Airport in 15 minutes, reaching Beijing Daxing International Airport in 35 minutes and Tangshan City in Hebei. You can embrace Tianjin Binhai New Area and Hebei Xiongan New Area in 1 hour.

"When we enter the hub again as passengers, that moment will be the happiest moment." Lu Gaofeng worked hard and looked forward to it.