Its central hall is big enough to fit a Boeing 747 and that says much about Beijing South. In many ways it is more like an airport terminal.

Merely pointing out it is the largest railway station in Asia does not begin to do justice to this behemoth. The statistics are as breathtaking as the experience: a roof area equal to 24 football pitches; waiting areas capable of holding 10,000 people at a time, half of them seated; a structure larger than the Bird's Nest; and a capacity to spew forth 30,000 passengers per hour, to name a few.

Welcome to train travel 21st century-style but ponder the aviation parallels.