With the last skylight glass smoothly installed at the highest point of the curved roof, Xi'an East Railway Station, the largest high-speed railway station in the northwest region, completed the key engineering node of fully topping out the metal roof on June 30, 2026. This marks the transition of this modern comprehensive transportation hub, known as the "Silk Road Station," from the main structure construction phase to the interior decoration and system debugging phase. From an aerial perspective, its undulating metal roof resembles a Qinling mountain ridge extending into the city, while its streamlined facade stretches like silk in the wind, quietly narrating the fusion of the millennium Silk Road and modern engineering. The total investment of the project is 17 billion yuan, and it is planned to be put into operation in June 2026 in conjunction with the West Ten High speed Railway and the West Kang High speed Railway.

The heart of the hub, the core of the road network

Xi'an East Station is located in Baqiao District, Xi'an City, and is a core component of the central business office area of the Dongcheng district of the Xi'an high-speed railway. Its position is crucial, as it is positioned as the central passenger station of the "m" - shaped high-speed railway network structure of Xi'an railway hub, undertaking the strategic mission of connecting east and west and connecting north and south. The station is planned to construct 13 stations with 27 tracks in the near future, and will be expanded to 17 stations with 35 tracks in the long term, forming a grand layout of one station and four stations. From west to east, the Xiyu Expressway, Xiwu Expressway, and Xikang Expressway will be arranged in sequence, and intercity stations will be reserved. After completion, the station will mainly undertake the starting and ending operations of the Xiwu High speed Railway, Xiyu High speed Railway bullet trains, and Xikang ordinary speed trains. It is expected to send 36.5 million passengers annually, greatly strengthening Xi'an's core hub function in the national high-speed railway network.

Qinchuan imagery, Silk Road charm

The design of Xi'an East Station deeply integrates regional culture and modern aesthetics, with its core concept derived from "Qin Mountain and Wei River, Silk Road Chang'an". The building roof adopts a combination of high and low undulating diamond shaped units, simulating the continuous mountains of the 800 mile Qinchuan River, echoing the natural topography of the Guanzhong Plain. The facade uses smooth curved lines, like flowing silk, to give static buildings a dynamic beauty. The entire roof structure adopts the first large-span ridge composite oblique space pipe truss system in China, with a total length of 400 meters and a width of 293 meters. It uses about 11400 tons of steel and is precisely composed of over 12000 welded nodes, achieving the unity of mechanics and aesthetics. The interior space of the station will also continue this design language, creating a "Silk Road Station" atmosphere that combines grandeur and cultural delicacy. Keywords: traffic construction news, traffic news

Technological breakthroughs, precise collaboration

The construction of Xi'an East Station faces multiple technical and management challenges, with its roof structure being particularly complex. The construction team needs to complete the overall lifting and installation of large-span and irregular space pipe trusses while ensuring safety and accuracy. The main truss of the roof has a span of 89 meters and an irregular structural shape, which poses extremely high requirements for measurement and positioning, welding technology, and synchronous lifting control. The project is managed by China Railway Xi'an Bureau Group Co., Ltd. and jointly designed by China Railway First Survey and Design Institute Group Co., Ltd. and Tongji University Architectural Design and Research Institute. China Railway Construction Group Co., Ltd. is responsible for the main construction. Through BIM technology full process simulation, digital construction management, and high-precision measurement control network, all parties have ensured the smooth implementation of this iconic complex steel structure project, accumulating valuable experience for the subsequent construction of similar large-scale transportation hubs.Editor/Gao Xue