Entrance/Exit 1 of CRT Caojiawan Station

Comparison of Caojiawan Station posed by a netizen in Weibo, captured in Internet

CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- Recently, CRT Caojiawan Station, which was once described by netizens as the “most desolate metro station”, has become a hit on the internet because of the before-and-after comparison photo in three years. The area around Caojiawan Station on Chongqing Rail Transit Line 6 has changed dramatically in three years from being deserted to being full of tall buildings. Recently, the reporter made a visit.

Bus stop available next to Entrance/Exit 1 of Caojiawan Rail Transit Station

When you exit Caojiawan station, the overgrown and deserted scene pictured three years ago has long since disappeared. Not only are the weeds gone, but roads have been built around it, and neat and tidy urban greenery has been planted alongside the pavement. There are two bus stops at the Entrance/Exit of Caojiawan Station and within 200 meters walking distances of each other, which makes it easy to transfer and meet the travel needs of different people. “In the past, it was not convenient to access the station and there was no bus transfer, so I never came here to take the bus; now I can take the bus directly to my doorstep after leaving Caojiawan Station.” Miss Cao who lives in Caijia, said.

“It used to be a wasteland, but now it has high-rise buildings, and it will be even better in the future when the shopping district and the community are built. I am so happy that it becomes bustling.” Xu Caisheng, who lives nearby, said. As Xu Caisheng said, apart from making it easier for people to take public transport, Caojiawan Station is also reaching out to more and more people. There are already a number of established communities and projects under construction in the vicinity, and the nearest community is only about 600 meters away on foot. A supporting shopping district is also under construction, which, when completed, will be about a five-minute walk from the rail transit station.

A number of established communities and projects under construction in the surrounding of CRT Caojiawan Station

In fact, the “transformation” of Caojiawan Station is not an isolated or typical case, “building rail transit is building the city.” Gao Zhigang, Vice President of Chongqing Communications Planning Institute, said that the planning and construction of rail transit is not only alleviating the problem of difficult transport links, but is also guiding the formation of the spatial pattern of the city; when rail transit stations are planned, highly integrated and high-intensity developments are set up around them, with the construction schedule matching the construction schedule of the stations. Gao Zhigang told the reporter that at present, about 37% of the population in the downtown of Chongqing is within 800 meters of a rail transit station. After the fourth phase of Chongqing’s rail transit plan is completed, roughly 60% of the population in the downtown city will be within 800 meters of the station’s radiation. “Further optimization work around the area will lead to a better trend around the rail transit station.” (Translated by Wang Huixin, Fathom Language Limited)