Work to begin on Baoshan Railway Station by the year end
Baoshan Railway Station will begin construction at the end of this year, and be operational by 2027. It aims to drive the development of Shanghai's northern urban center, the Baoshan District government said on Monday.
The station's main building will cover 130,000 square meters, with an additional 30,000 square meters of overlying structures and a 30,000 square meter "urban reception hall." The project will create a high-speed business district combining a transportation hub, commercial activities, cultural events and exhibitions, Gao Yiyi, the director of Baoshan told a press briefing.
To avoid the potential traffic congestion after its opening, Baoshan is working to develop a series of north-south fast roads and optimize the existing highways in the surroundings.
Meanwhile, Metro Line 19 will be connected to Line 18 to the south and Line 3 to the north, further improving the public transport system in the city's north.
A grand planning for the integrated development of the new station and its surrounding 1-square-kilometer area is in progress.
It will include the development of the 26-square-kilometer Wusong Smart City, which is being transformed from the city's former iron-steel base in Baoshan, Gao said.
The Wusong area was home to the renowned Baosteel and more than 300 other metal refineries and chemical engineering plants dating back to the 1930s. Most of the factories have shut down or been relocated due to pollution control.
The site will be transformed into a subcenter of Shanghai with new materials and hardware industries, scientific and cultural innovation parks, commercial and business facilities, residential communities and waterfront attractions.
Construction of two skyscrapers, to be 180 meters and 150 meters tall, have commenced at the intersection of Baoyang and Tongji roads as landmarks of the smart city. The buildings will transform the intersection into Baoshan's first central business district.
As another key project, the former No.1 Shanghai Steel Factory will be reestablished as the Wusong campus of the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts of Shanghai University. It is expected to be completed and put into operation in September 2026, becoming a world-class art academy matching Shanghai's global city status.
In Shanghai's 2035 master plan, along with the five "new cities" in the suburbs, the south-north transformation of the former iron-steel industries in Baoshan and the chemical industries in southern Jinshan District have been listed as the city's key development blueprints.
Shanghai Vice Mayor Chen Jie, who is also the Party secretary of Baoshan, said the northern transformation is a major initiative in Shanghai's efforts to build a new development pattern.
Baoshan focuses on its roles as the "main field of the Shanghai science and innovation center," "the main urban area of the international metropolis," and "a model area for green and low-carbon transformation throughout the city," Chen said.