Architect at forefront of train station innovations

HARBIN — Standing in front of the bustling railway station in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, 43-year-old veteran architect Li Lili vividly recalls how crowded and chaotic it was two decades ago. "A giant gray concrete box filled with deafening shouts and disoriented travelers: that was my first impression of the province's largest train station," Li said.

Over the course of her career coming up with innovative designs at such stations, many of them have evolved from mere passenger entrances into multifunctional modern transport complexes, transforming the travel experience. "For a long time, traveling by train in China was a haphazard choice for many, with constant congestion at station entrances and on platforms," Li said.

She explained that in the past, since railways were mainly built for freight trains, many passenger stations were merely subsidiary facilities, without any guidance, diversion routes or other essential services for passengers.