去过郑州航空港的各位，可能会发现那座车站十分空旷。是不是建大了，以后还有繁忙的未来呢？
For those of us who've been to Zhengzhou Air City (Zhengzhou Hangkonggang; 郑州航空港) railway station... yes — you might have thought, this station is airy — but where's the people?...
时间回到 2013 年初，当时笔者从刚开通不久的郑州东站乘车回京，也发现车站很大，但乘客不多。
If we, in actual fact, turn the clock back to 2013, and take a look at Zhengzhou East (Zhengzhoudong; 郑州东) railway station, we see a similar pattern... opened for not even half a year, and still very, very quiet on my way back to Beijing.
2013 年夏天，由于受够了北京首都机场的持续航空晚点，往来西南地区的旅途家里改为第一段旅程（北京到郑州）一律改坐高铁，再坐飞机去成渝地区。（如今，甚至于无需乘机，直接高铁直达即可!）到这个时候，郑州东站的乘客开始多起来。
In summer 2013, I spearheaded a new rule in the family: sick of flight delays, we would take the first part of trips from Beijing to southwestern China by HSR — so it would be Beijing-Zhengzhou by rail, and Zhengzhou-Chengdu/Chongqing by air. (These days, though, flying makes even less sense, as newer and faster routes are opened on the railway network!) At this time, yes, Zhengzhou East did get a bit busier.
2016 年 9 月，郑州东站的郑西（郑州-西安）高铁东延即郑徐（郑州-徐州）高铁开通，笔者接受采访的同时，看到了车站如何之繁忙。
With the Zhengzhou-Xi'an HSR extended further east to Xuzhou in September 2016, the station got busier still (and I got my bit of mic time...)
2017 年 1 月春运期间，郑州东站客流明显增多。
You can see, by January 2017, how busy the station had become for Spring Festival rush!
2018 年，郑州东站不少列车为重联编组，能让更多的乘客乘车出行。
Many trains by 2018 were running coupled services — add another 8-car trainset, and immediately double seat availability to meet increasing demand!
即使郑州和各地遭受大疫之冲击，但客流随着出行管制的放松，也可以回升。这是 2023 年的郑州东站，依然十分繁忙。
Zero Covid, of course, dented growth visibly, in Zhengzhou and other places. But as travels restrictions eased, riders returned. By early 2023, Zhengzhou East was once again a busy rail hub.
2025 年春运郑州东站 32 站台，人真是多!
Platform 32, Spring Festival rush 2025. That's a lot of people!
如今的郑州东站，进入深夜，依然繁忙。
Zhengzhou East today — still busy, even into the night...
不少中国的高铁站不是「修得太大」(与否)，更是「为未来做好充分准备」。相信包括郑州航空站在内的各站，会越来越繁忙，也让更多人体验到绿色环保高铁的便捷、高效与安全，成为出行新首选。
Do Chinese HSR stations appear "too big"? Maybe if we considered how they futureproofed future development?... As you can see from Zhengzhou East, stations grow — and so does the ridership. It will just be a matter of time, then, when all major HSR hubs, including Zhengzhou Air City, get busier and busier, as more people choose rail as their primary mode of transport — convenient, efficient, safe, and Green!
🎤 Talk Back 💬
你家最近的高铁枢纽站是...?
Do you know which huge HSR hub you live closest to?
