The Hangzhou West Railway Station started construction two years ago. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]

The Hangzhou West Railway Station, an important piece of supporting infrastructure for the 19th Asian Games, is nearly complete and is expected to begin trial operations in late August.

The station, the third transportation hub of Hangzhou following the Hangzhou East Railway Station and Hangzhou International Airport, will work to connect the railway traffic network with western and northern Zhejiang province.

A total of 7.2 billion yuan ($1.06 billion) has been invested in the project.

With five floors at ground-level and four floors underground, the 57-meter-high station covers a total area of 510,000 square meters – nearly the size of 70 standard football fields – enabling high-speed trains, metros, buses, taxies and private vehicles to come and go in an orderly manner.

The delicate steel and curtain wall structures designed for the station enable passengers to breathe fresh air while also helping staff achieve the real-time monitoring and analysis of wind power, wind direction, rainfall, temperature, humidity, PM2.5, and noise.

7,540 photovoltaic panels for a 15,000-square-meter area have also been laid on the rooftop of the station so as to meet its daily energy needs while observing the Asian Games' philosophy of energy conservation.

The panels are expected to generate 2.31 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, which can be used for advertising, shops and air conditioning, reducing electricity costs. They are also expected to save more than 800 metric tons in standard coal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 2,330 tons every year.

A bird's-eye view of the Hangzhou West Railway Station. [Photo by Jin Zhaoming/hangzhou.com.cn]