The 31-year-old Guangzhou Railway Station announced its first comprehensive reconstruction Sunday, which is expected to cost 100 million yuan (US$12m).

The 9,000-square-meter waiting area will be increased to 14,000 square meters, with the number of waiting rooms increased from seven to 11, capable of hosting 45,000 passengers per day, 50 percent more than the current capacity.

The project will be finished in October. The second floor of the eastern building, rebuilt and redecorated in April, will share the passenger flow during the huge project. Signs and station workers will guide passengers to safe areas during construction.

The station, designated to handle 25,000 passengers a day with a waiting area of 7,000 square meters, had undergone several partial reconstructions and expansions, but is still lagging behind the increasing demands. The station is so crowded in holidays that some exits and passages have to be used as makeshift waiting areas. During peak times, passengers are asked to arrive at the waiting rooms two hours before their trains depart.

The government hopes the reconstruction will make passenger flow smoother and services more convenient.

More entrances and escalators will be added at the station. Some escalators will shift direction when necessary. Two sightseeing lifts will be installed, which will also make it more convenient for the disabled.

A brand new central air-conditioning system will make the main hall cool. There will be a central indoor garden at the station.

(Shenzhen Daily May 24, 2005)