高铁站合理选址 (gāotiézhàn hélǐ xuǎnzhǐ): Reasonable locations for high-speed railway stations

China's high-speed railways have made great achievements in recent years. At present the operating length of China's high-speed rail network is 19,000 kilometers, which ranks first globally. Construction of high-speed railways plays a key role in achieving the goal of great transportation power in the future.

But the existing high-speed railway construction still needs improvement. For instance, the location of high-speed railway stations is always far from urban areas, which is inconvenient for passengers.

The average distance between high-speed railway stations and central urban areas is more than 14 kilometers, and some of the high-speed railway stations are even 30 kilometers away from the central urban areas.

The National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development as well as China Railway Corp have jointly issued guidelines for the construction of new high-speed railway stations and the development of the surrounding areas. The stations should be built in the central urban area or a place near the urban center for passengers' convenience.

The guidelines also require stations serving just a high-speed line cover less than 50 hectares. While those stations with multiple functions should cover an area no larger than 100 hectares.