The Fastest-Rising High-Speed Rail Station in Anhui, Second Only to Hefei in Accessibility, Set to Become a National-Level Hub

Leveraging the integration of the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone into a national strategy, Anhui Province has embraced unprecedented development opportunities, particularly in infrastructure construction. Anhui's high-speed rail construction has been remarkably rapid. It has become the second province in China where all prefecture-level cities have access to high-speed rail. In the next five years, it is expected to become the first in the country to achieve high-speed rail coverage in every county. In Anhui, there is a high-speed rail station that has developed the fastest. Once a dilapidated, poorly equipped third-class passenger station, it has now become a key national high-speed rail station with extensive reach, second only to the provincial capital Hefei, and comparable to Wuhu Station. Do you know which station it is? It is Xuancheng Station in Xuancheng City, southern Anhui.

Xuancheng City is located at the border of Anhui and Jiangsu, a prefecture-level city in Anhui that borders both Zhejiang and Jiangsu. Its favorable geographical location has established it as a regional transportation hub. From the Xuanhang Railway and Wangan Railway of the last century to the recently opened Shanghe-Hangzhou High-Speed Railway, the formerly shabby train station has instantly become a grand central hub. At the east square of Xuancheng Railway Station, you can see a modern first-class station. Taking advantage of the opening of the Shanghe-Hangzhou HSR on June 28, I visited Xuancheng Railway Station to experience the station in the high-speed rail era. This photo was taken on the afternoon of June 30 at the east square of Xuancheng Railway Station.

The design of the Xuancheng Station building reflects local cultural characteristics, with the main structure framed by the character "宣" (Xuan), offering a very pleasant visual effect. Currently, Xuancheng Station serves both high-speed rail and conventional rail. The high-speed section has 3 platforms and 7 tracks, with 5 platform surfaces, accommodating the Shanghe-Hangzhou HSR and Xuanji HSR lines; the conventional section has 2 platforms and 7 tracks, with 3 platform surfaces, serving the Xuanhang Railway and Wangan Railway. The station consists of two waiting halls—East and West—and its scale ranks among the top prefecture-level city stations in Anhui.

The ticket hall at Xuancheng Station combines automatic ticketing systems with manual ticket windows to provide convenience for different passengers. Compared with the old station's ticket hall, the change is like night and day. The Shanghe-Hangzhou HSR alone has propelled Xuancheng into the modern high-speed rail era. With the construction of multiple interprovincial high-speed railways in the future, Xuancheng's railway hub position may even surpass that of Hefei, after all, geography decides everything.

The waiting halls of both the East and West stations feature two levels, with the second level being the main waiting area, connected to the platforms via footbridges. The design of the East and West waiting halls is very user-friendly; no matter which hall you enter, you can reach the designated platform via the bridge, so you don't need to worry about which hall to go to.

The first-level waiting hall is reserved for the Wangan Railway, Xuanji HSR, and the Wangan electrified line, so it is not yet in use.

The high-end, grand, and upscale scale of the station is astonishing, reflecting the rapid development of Xuancheng's infrastructure. From a dilapidated old station with limited reach in the conventional rail era to a modern station with nationwide coverage and 350 km/h high-speed rail, this transformation makes it the fastest-rising high-speed rail station in Anhui, a phenomenon rarely seen nationwide.

To facilitate travel for all counties and cities in the Xuancheng area, the city has integrated the bus station with the high-speed rail station. Xuancheng Bus Station is located at the southwest corner of the East Station Building, visible upon exiting the station. For example, Ningguo City, which does not yet have high-speed rail, can take buses to Xuancheng Station for onward travel to Nanjing, Shanghai, Hefei, Beijing, etc. Meanwhile, Jingxian, Jixi, and Jingde, which already have high-speed rail, can also take buses to Xuancheng Station to catch high-speed trains to Hangzhou, Nanjing, etc., making it very convenient and user-friendly.

In the high-speed rail era, Xuancheng Station offers not only intercity road passenger transport but also well-developed urban public transit. Both Xuancheng city buses and Xuanzhou township buses are available, making it very convenient for residents and township people to travel to Xuancheng High-Speed Rail Station. It is worth noting that the Xuancheng Bus Station and most city bus routes are located at the East Square; when exiting the station by high-speed train, be sure to use the east exit.

The pedestrian bridge, bus passenger transport center, and public transit hub at the East Square provide user-friendly convenience for the public. From a small, outdated third-class station with limited reach to an interprovincial high-speed rail hub, the transformation of Xuancheng Station is earth-shaking. With the construction of the Xuanji HSR, Ningxuan HSR, Xuanhang Intercity, and the second line of the Nanjing-Hangzhou HSR in the next 3-5 years, the hub status of Xuancheng Station will rise from provincial to national level. The future position of Xuancheng High-Speed Rail Station should not be underestimated. Let's wait and see!