Expanding Reading（拓展阅读）
Beijing South Railway Station
Beijing South Railway Station is about 4 miles(7 kilometers)to Tian'anmen Square，6 miles(9 kilometers)to Beijing Railway Station，and 22 miles(35 kilometers)to Capital International Airport.Covering an area of 123 acres(499，200 square meters)，it is as big as 70 football courts.
Beijing South Railway Station
Schedule and Ticket Booking
Beijing South Railway Station mainly operates high speed trains to/from Shanghai，Tianjin，Hefei，Fuzhou，Harbin，Nanjing，Qingdao and Hangzhou.
Beijing—Dalian Train
Usually，there are 8 pairs of trains running daily between Beijing and Dalian.Among them，5 pairs are high speed trains which take about 5 to 6.5 hours for a total length of 542 to 594 miles.The rest 3 pairs of normal trains take much longer time，around 11 to 15 hours.
Except the rail service，there are also flights available between.The flight takes only around 1.5 hours.But the ticket price is usually higher than rail service.However，during some off season，there may be a good discount offered.Travellers can compare both schedule and price for a final arrangement.
Beijing—Harbin High Speed Train
The Beijing—Harbin high speed trains can finish the 771 miles'(1241 km)distance in about 6.5 to 8.5 hours.At present，there are 6 pairs of bullet trains per day running between the two cities，passing through major cities including Qinhuangdao，Jinzhou，Shenyang，Tieling and Changchun.
Beijing—Hangzhou Train
A total of 17 pairs of trains are running between Beijing and Hangzhou.14 pairs of them are high speed trains with duration of 5 to 7 hours;the other 3 pairs are normal types with journey time of 14 to 21.5 hours.
Altogether 14 pairs of them run between the two cities.But please note that those numbered as G165/G166，G41/G42，G43/G44，G35/G36，G37/G34，G20 and G39/G40 from Beijing South to Hangzhou East as the starting/final station;while others numbered as G19，G57/G58，G55/G56，G33/G38，G163/G164，G167/G168，G59/G60 and G45/G46 run from/to Shaoxing North，Ningbo，Fuzhou，Nanchang West，Cangnan，Wenzhou South and Jiangshan to/from Beijing South，and Hangzhou is just one of the intermediate stations stopping for 3 to 14 minutes.Thus，passengers should give an ear to the broadcasting notice and be prepared for getting on/off beforehand.
Only 3 pairs of them are operated currently.They are all running overnight，so please prepare enough food and water as they are expensive onboard.The most important thing is to buy a soft sleeper or hard sleeper because hard seat carriages may be crowded，especially during holidays;and hard seats are not comfortable.
Beijing—Shanghai High Speed Train
Beijing—Shanghai High Speed Railway，Jinghu High Speed Railway for short，finishes the 819 miles'(1318 km)distance between the two cities in 5 hours.
Currently，there are two kinds of high speed trains，also called bullet trains running between Beijing and Shanghai，namely G trains running in daytime at a highest speed of 300 km/h(186 mph)，and D trains running overnight at a highest speed of 250 km/h(217 mph)，linking Tianjin，Shanghai，Hebei，Shandong，Anhui and Jiangsu.
Station Plan
The station mainly consists of terminal buildings，South Square and North Square.The terminal building is inspired by the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in the Temple of Heaven and appears to be elliptical，a harmonious combination of tradition and modernity.There are altogether 5 floors inside，2 above ground and 3 underground:
2F:waiting hall，ticket offices
1F:platforms，rail tracks
—1F:a transfer hall，ticket offices，express channels to platforms
—2F:a platform of subway line 4
—3F:a platform of subway line 14(not opened yet)
Ticket Checking and Boarding
There are 23 ticket check points on the second floor，which are symmetrically located on east and west sides and numbered as 1A，1B，2A，2B...Passengers can have their tickets checked at either side.Please note that the check points are usually opened 30 minutes before departure and closed 5 minutes before.After that，take escalators，lifts，or stairs down to platforms.
The east check points are equipped with escalators and elevators while the west ones are equipped with escalators and stairs.The old，weak，sick，disabled and pregnant passengers and those with large suitcases or bags are advised to use the elevators on the east.
Generally speaking，the larger numbered carriages of high speed trains to Shanghai are closer to the east check points while the larger numbered carriages of intercity high speed trains to Tianjin are closer to the west check points.Passengers can also read the LED screens at each check point for more up-to-date information.
Passengers holding blue tickets should have them checked by the automatic check barriers;while those holding pink ones should have them checked by the staff manually at the check tunnels.
On the platform，there may be two trains.Check the LED screens to confirm which one is yours.After that，find the right carriage and get on board.Mind the gap between the carriage and the platform when boarding.Then put your carry-on luggage on the luggage rack over seats，or in the cabinets at two sides of the carriage，or behind the last row of the carriage，sit down，adjust the seat back and enjoy your rail ride.
How to Exit and Leave South Railway Station
Upon arrival，all passengers will be led to－1F—the transfer hall for exiting.At each exit，there is a LED screen showing the most up-to-date arrival time and stopping platform.This is a great help for those picking up arrival passengers.After getting through the exit，follow bilingual direction signs to find buses，subway，capital airport shuttle bus，and taxis to leave the station.
Facilities and Services of the Station
Ticket Office:
There are four of them in the four corners of 2F and two on northwest and southwest of－1F.Online booking collection window:Window No.19 in Ticket Office No.2;Window No.39 in Office N0.3;and Window No.45 and 49 in Office No.4.Actually in most cases，passengers can collect their online booking tickets at any of the regular ticket windows.
Ticket Change:
Window No.8 and 9 in Office No.1;Window No.22 in Office No.2;Window No.36，40 and 41 in Office No.3;Window No.50 and 51 in Office No.4;Window No.60 in Office No.5;and Window No.67 in Office NO.6.
Ticket Refund:
Window No.29，30 and 31 in Office No.3.
Ticket Lost:
Window No.40 in Office No.3;Window No.5l in Office No.4.
UnionPay Window:
Window No.8 and 9 in Office N0.1;Window No.22 in Office No.2;Window No.36 and 41 in Office No.3;Window No.50 in Office No.4.Passengers can pay by UnionPay bank card while purchasing tickets at these windows.
Ticket Office N0.5 on the northwest of－1F mainly deals with automatic ticket selling and collecting，which are not applicable to foreign passengers in absence of Chinese ID card.They are advised to collect or purchase tickets in Office No.6 in southwest of the same floor or the other four on 2F.
Left Luggage:
They are located on two sides of north security check on 2F，and northeast and southeast sides of－lF.The opening time is from 06:00 to 23:00.There are large and medium-sized，two kinds of cabinets.The large ones are big enough to contain a regular suitcase and several bags while the medium-sized ones can only contain bags.
LED Screen:
There are many large LED screens showing the train numbers，their departure times，check points and boarding platforms on the 2F and arrival times，platforms，exits on－1F.
Information Desk:
There are four of them，located at the east entrance，the west entrance and No.5 and No.17 Ticket Check Points of 2F.Although named differently as Information Desk，Runqiu Service Desk，or Duty Manager Desk，their provided services are similar，like searching for real-time schedule，pointing out the different functional areas of the station，helping the old，weak，sick，disabled and pregnant to get on board or leave the station，and broadcasting.They also provide maps，wheelchairs and medicine boxes，etc.
Washroom:
They are spread on the east side and the west side of the waiting hall on 2F and around the transfer hall.
Hot Drinking Water:
They are set up near the washrooms on 2F.The water are boiled and be careful when fetching it.
Cell Phone Charging Station:
There are eight self-serviced cell phone charging machines located on both sides of east and west entrances on 2F.
Business Class Waiting Area:
They are located in the northwest and southwest of 2F，next to No.3 and No.4 Ticket Offices.Only business－class passengers to Shanghai are allowed to wait inside.
China Railway Express:
It is located in the northwest of 2F.Passengers can consign their luggage to Shanghai，Nanjing，Jinan and Qingdao，and they will be transferred to the confirmed railway station on the second or third day.
In addition，there are supermarkets，coffee shops，restaurants，bookstores，and newsstands in the waiting hall and the transfer hall.