Shenzhen North Railway Station

This guide to Shenzhen North Railway Station begins with a lightning strike on a Wenzhou viaduct in July 2011, a collision between two bullet trains that killed forty people just as this long-delayed hub was finishing construction. It follows the station's troubled path from its 2003 planning start through missed targets for the 2010 Asian Games and a national freeze on high-speed rail after the crash, before the platforms finally opened in December 2011 amid public doubt about the whole program. The guide widens out to the network this station was built to anchor, linking Shenzhen to Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai and beyond. Stand near the departure boards and watch where the trains are headed.