Farewell to “Songjiang North”: The End of a Century-Old Station and the Era of Slow Trains It Took With It On December 10th, the Songjiang North Railway Station officially ceased operations, marking the closure of a century-old transportation hub in Shanghai’s Songjiang District. This event not only signals the end of a historical railway station but also the demise of an era when trains ran slowly and offered a glimpse into a different pace of life. Built in 1909, Songjiang North Station had witnessed the evolution of transportation and urban development, serving as a vital stop along the railway connecting Shanghai with the southern regions of China. The station had long been associated with slower, more leisurely train journeys, providing an escape from the rush of modern life. Passengers once boarded trains that snaked their way through picturesque rural landscapes, experiencing the charm of a more relaxed travel pace. Over the years, as high-speed trains took over and the demand for faster, more efficient transportation grew, the station’s role diminished, eventually leading to its closure. The closing of Songjiang North Station represents more than just a physical change in the railway network; it is a symbolic farewell to an era when train travel was a slower, more deliberate experience. While new high-speed lines and modern stations promise efficiency and convenience, they also signal the end of a time when trains offered an intimate connection to the places they passed through, and the journey itself was as important as the destination. As we bid farewell to Songjiang North, we also say goodbye to the slower, gentler rhythms of the past—an era that, although slipping away, will be fondly remembered by those who once traveled through its gates.

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“The K287 electric passenger train departs from Songjiang North Station. Goodbye, Songjiang. Goodbye, Songjiang North Station.” The voice of the K287 train driver echoed on the platform. Soon, a crowd of people holding up their phones and cameras joined in, shouting, “Goodbye, Songjiang Station!” “Goodbye, Songjiang North Station!” Moments later, a transportation enthusiast started singing, “Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, fragrant grass stretches to the sky…” The crowd began to sing along.

On the evening of December 9, they were bidding farewell to a station with a history older than the song “Farewell.” At 21:20 on December 9, the K287 train slowly left Songjiang North Station, with many railway enthusiasts present to see it off.

Starting from midnight on December 10, 2024, Songjiang North Station in Shanghai will cease passenger services. On the evening of December 9, this small suburban platform welcomed hundreds of transportation enthusiasts. Around 9 PM, the departing K287 train became the last regular passenger train to leave this platform. Those present were surprised to find that it stayed at the platform for nearly half an hour.

Originally built in 1906 and opened in 1908, the station was destroyed during wartime in 1937 but was later rebuilt and renovated at the end of the 20th century. Before its closure, this 116-year-old station was one of the few low-platform stations remaining in Shanghai, where passengers had to climb a three-step ladder to board the green trains. The station’s ancient design attracted many film and television productions, including “Platform” and “To Youth 2.”

In fact, this was the second farewell for the platform this year. On May 22, 2024, the original “Songjiang South Station” was renamed “Shanghai Songjiang Station,” while the 116-year-old “Songjiang Station” was renamed “Songjiang North Station.” This is why some people refer to it as “Songjiang North,” while others still call it “Songjiang Station.”

With the advancement of the Yangtze River Delta integration and the regional development of Shanghai Songjiang, Songjiang North Station gradually completed its historical mission. Its freight services will be transferred to Shihudang Station, and regular passenger services will move to Shanghai Songjiang Station. By the end of 2024, the new Shanghai Songjiang Station will be operational, connecting the Hu-Su-Lake High-Speed Railway, the Hu-Kun High-Speed Railway, and the Hu-Kun Railway, reaching over 80% of cities in the Yangtze River Delta, thus reshaping the transportation landscape of Songjiang District, Shanghai, and the Yangtze River Delta.

Cities are like trains, rolling forward, leaving the old platforms behind, gradually fading from view. But many people remember it, recalling the lifestyle of the slow train era. Xiao Shi, a student from Songjiang University Town, gained affordable and convenient opportunities to travel, while Song Chen, a resident of Songjiang, commuted daily to the city center on the green trains. Xiao Yu, who lived in Songjiang in the 1990s, remembers buying platform tickets to greet friends and family, as well as the mixed aromas of hot food like dried tofu, corn, and tea eggs on the platform.

“Back then, it was still Songjiang County, and the green trains took us to Shanghai,” Xiao Yu said. “The platform feels like an old family member; saying goodbye to it feels like saying goodbye to a part of that era.” Xiao Yu paused, “An era has passed, and a new one has come.”

The century-old “Songjiang Station” has a long history as an important stop on the Shanghai-Hangzhou Railway. Construction of the Su-Zhe Railway (Shanghai-Hangzhou Line) began in November 1906. The section from Shanghai to Fengjing was completed and opened in March 1908, marking the beginning of railway transport in Songjiang County. The entire Shanghai-Hangzhou Line opened on July 28, 1909, with a length of 39.9 kilometers within Songjiang County. The station was destroyed by Japanese forces in September 1937 and was rebuilt in 1941, with the main structure used until the end of the last century.

In 1998, the station building began to be demolished, and the station underwent its most recent renovation, completed around 2001. It remained unchanged until now. On May 22, 2024, Songjiang Station was officially renamed Songjiang North Station.

According to information from 12306, Songjiang North Station will no longer handle passenger services starting December 10. Thus, the K287 train on the evening of December 9 became the last passenger train to operate at this platform.

Xiao Shi, a transportation enthusiast born in 2000, had traveled through Songjiang North Station around sixty to seventy times during his four years at Songjiang University Town. The affordable green train tickets and convenient transport did not impose much travel pressure on “poor students” like him. Now a working professional, Xiao Shi specifically bought a ticket for the K287 train departing from Shanghai South at 20:21, which also made its last stop at Songjiang North that evening, bidding farewell to the platform that held his youth.

Songjiang Station is one of the few low platforms in Shanghai, where passengers must ascend three steps to board.

“Due to speed restrictions from construction, this train (K287) was always slow,” the Fudan University Map Society detailed in a post about the last night at Songjiang North. “The slow pace added a sense of ceremony to the farewell. On this fully booked train, filled with enthusiasts of varying ages, conversations about past journeys and today’s farewell began, even among those who did not know each other.”

Around 20:50 that day, the train arrived at Songjiang North Station two minutes late, where another group of transportation enthusiasts was already waiting. Xiao Shi noticed that the number of people there exceeded his expectations, possibly around one or two hundred.

Fourteen-year-old train enthusiast Xiao K also set off from Shanghai South Station. Initially, he planned to ride to Jiashan Station (which will also close for upgrades on December 10, 2024), but after ten minutes on the train, he decided to get off at Songjiang North to join the larger group, “At first, the people on the train didn’t know why so many were standing on the platform.”

The Last Night at “Songjiang North”

“In my view, Songjiang North Station retains the simple appearance of the railway line, with every brick and timber exuding a strong historical atmosphere, witnessing the development of China’s railways,” said Ju Hao, a freshman from Tongji University. Every time he passes Songjiang North Station, he gets off to walk around the low platform.

That night, after getting off at Songjiang North, the enthusiasts began taking photos. They meticulously recorded the sight of the stationary train, the platform signs, and the tracks, eagerly exchanging information about the station with staff and fellow enthusiasts.

On the evening of December 9, transportation enthusiasts waited on the platform to see the last train depart.

There were too many passengers getting on and off this train, exceeding the usual stop time at this station. For scheduling reasons, the K287 train, originally scheduled to depart at 20:51, finally blew its whistle and slowly left Songjiang North Station at 21:20, extending the three-minute stop to nearly half an hour. During this time, two trains, Z247 and Z27, which were supposed to wait at Jiashan Station, instead waited at Songjiang North, passing by K287 with a whistle.

Accompanying Ju Hao that day was Shen Bijun, president of the Transportation Culture and Urban Development Association at Tongji University. A senior, Shen had been interning at a company and decided to spontaneously go to see off Songjiang North Station that afternoon. At the scene, he suddenly felt something was missing—singing “Farewell” to bid farewell to a station or a train was not a first among transportation enthusiasts. “Outside the long pavilion!” he began to sing, and soon everyone raised their phones to join in.

On the evening of December 9, everyone took photos on the platform, recording the last dance of passenger services at Songjiang North Station.

On the evening of December 9, the K287 train departed from Songjiang North Station.

As the song “Farewell” played, “the red taillights of the last passenger train disappeared into the glow of the platform’s screen.”

When the train departed, transportation enthusiast Cong Cong’s ID card did not swipe out, so he took out his ticket. A nearby staff member saw this and voluntarily stamped Cong Cong’s ticket with the “Songjiang North” stamp. “The trains at Songjiang Station have witnessed many important decisions and departures in my life; I came to bid farewell with this sentiment,” Cong Cong cherished the last stamp, “which marks a perfect symbol for my farewell journey.”

On the evening of December 9, transportation enthusiasts took a group photo outside the station to say goodbye.

Around 21:25, the iron gate of the station closed. By 21:30, the transportation enthusiasts who came to see off stood outside Songjiang North, taking a group photo. As the last shout of “goodbye” echoed, the lights inside the station were turned off.

The Commuting Years Related to Songjiang Station

Song Chen did not see off the last train at the station, but in his heart, he had silently said goodbye to the platform long ago.

Songjiang North Station, or Songjiang Station, was very familiar to Song Chen. He had lived in Songjiang for 12 years, and it took him only a