ASTANA – Astana is set to open a new railway station ahead of the EXPO 2017 international specialised exhibition, to be called Nurly Zhol. The facility will open June 1, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy press service reports.
The project is divided into two stages ensuring the integration of the Astana railway junction and the construction of a railway station complex. The former implies the development of infrastructure to provide the passage of increasing freight and passenger traffic.
“Advanced innovative technologies available in the construction industry were used at a new railway station. Thus, the railway overpass equipped with noise protection screens allowed to provide the passage of trains to the new railway station, without disturbing the existing and planned transport arteries of the city,” noted the report.
With a capacity of more than 35,000 passengers per day, the new station will significantly relieve the load from the existing station of Astana, which welcomes up to 18,000 passengers per day.
International experts from BuroHappold, British professional services firm providing engineering consultancy, Tabanlioglu Architects, an architectural firm based in Istanbul, and a team from Germany designed and implemented technical solutions to locate the station on the concourse above the railway tracks.
“This is a kind of know-how of the modern way to build the station buildings. The ‘Station bridge’ almost everywhere have replaced the station of a ‘shore’ type due to greater efficiency, compactness and more rational use of a space,” said the report.
The new station is located closer to the Astana business centre, which will significantly reduce the burden of vehicle movement and accelerate traffic.
To ensure the safety of passengers with limited physical abilities, the facility with an area of more than 120,000 square metres will feature tactile paths, an information board with the use of the Braille and special cash desks.
In addition to the main waiting room, there will be hotel rooms, storage rooms, mother-and-child rooms, medical offices, food courts, restaurants, indoor and outdoor parking for more than 1,500 vehicles and much more services that meet the best world standards.
“The building will be equipped with energy-saving elevators, escalators and ground heat exchangers, which pre-heat the air coming from the street in the winter and cools the air in the summer. A multi-zone air conditioning system distributes cold and heat from one external unit directly to several internal ones ensuring energy efficiency,” according to the report.
Rainwater harvesting and rainwater recycling systems have been designed for the cleaning of facades and irrigation of adjacent territories.
For the convenience of passengers, modern queue management systems, electronic ticket sales and internet access are provided.
To ensure a high level of protection against threats in emergencies, security staff will carry out a wide range of anti-terrorist activities. Facility will be equipped with passenger screening, video surveillance and access control systems. Security staff will operate inside and outside the facility to ensure 24-hour monitoring.
The new station will provide more than 1,300 people with jobs.
General construction will be completed May 15 and during the next two weeks all tests of engineering communications, intelligent train control system as well as passenger services will be carried out.
