Daedo North Station

Daedo North Station (Zhenian: 대도 북역), is one of the four major intercity railway stations in Daedo, Zhenia. Considered one of the 'terminus' stations in Daedo, it functions as a key hub for trains that are northbound from Daedo, being situated at the core of the complex railway networks in northern Daedo.

Prior to railway nationalization


Daedo North Station was initially constructed as the Daedo hub of the Zhenia Northern Rail company, with the station planned to serve as the main terminus station of all railroads under the company linking the Danguk Peninsula and Northern Zhenia. The construction of the station at the time, which survive as as the main terminal of the station today, was overseen directly by the company, given its significance. The station used several techniques considered revolutionary at the time, including steel frames and reinforced concrete augmented by stone. The overall architectural style of the station closely mirrored that of several contemporary railway stations in Azora.

At the time it opened, the station became a major transit hub of Daedo altogether, with several development plans springing up after the completion of the station.

After railway nationalization
In 1566, following the extension of ZNX service into the station's aboveground segment, there were several proposals to completely rebuild what is now the main terminal into a modern train terminal oriented towards ZNX services, with most of the criticism being geared towards the station being "unable to handle significant increases in traffic that is expected to come along with ZNX service". With plans for the new station to be mostly underground, most of the aboveground segment of the station, particularly on the site of the main terminal, expected to give way to a skyscraper project dubbed "North Station Spire", which consisted of 5 skyscrapers that would consist primarily of business and commercial space. The plan to rebuild and radically modernize much of the station was met with mixed responses, with proponents of the plan pointing out the increasing maintenance costs of the older building, while opponents called for attention to the historical significance of the building itself. Regardless, with the plan initially passing the Special City Parliament and getting final approval from the Special City Administrator and eventually Kim Shimin by 1578, the events leading to the November Revolution - particularly ongoing protests, rallies, strikes and sit-in movements throughout Daedo - resulted in no real demolition of the building until the end of the November Revolution. Shortly after the Revolution, however, a group of Zhenian architects and several civic organizations within Daedo argued against the station's demolition, highlighting the architectural and symbolic significance of the station's building in the role it played in Zhenian rail history. The plan was ultimately scrapped under Li Shan on May 25, 1570 - a day remembered by several historical architecture activists as a milestone for preserving modern landmarks throughout the nation.

In order to compensate for the cancellation of the demolition of the older station, plans for a new station directly south of the existing station, partly using the site of the existing marshal yard, was released the following year. The new station building reflected many of the elements of the North Station renewal proposal before the November Revolution, including dedicated underground segments for ZNX service and the integration of commercial space alongside the station itself. It was one of the first major stations in Zhenia built primarily using the technique for its walls, setting the norm for most Zhenian railway stations constructed in the 1580s and beyond. With the ultimate intention of assuming the roles of the older station altogether, its aboveground segment was expected to host all non-ZNX intercity and commuter passenger trains, while a complex underground segment acting as the terminus station for Daedo Metro connections and all ZNX trains. The existing freight depot to the station's west, along with the marshal yard, was relocated to Habuk-gu district over the reconstruction of the station. Coming in hand with the construction of dedicated underground high-speed tracks traversing Daedo, the new station was completed on April 12, 1579.

With the new station being fully operational, the older main terminal also received a major overhaul and modernization throughout the 1580s. following the city's plans to host the 1598 Daedo World Expo. While most of the historical segments of the station building remained more or less intact, The internal components of the building received several changes and upgrades. the Much of the station's systems, although to a much lesser degree than the then-planned Shin Daedo Station, was digitized, while internal displays and signal processing systems were implemented across the station While the renovation itself came under attack when the station was designated a modern heritage site by the Special City Government, it received a conditional waiver for the go-ahead of the project, under the precondition that most of the historical elements of the station remain intact or be restored. Thus, not everything in the overhaul deviated from the station's history and heritage: the central hall and chandeliers were restored, while the uppermost aboveground floors of the station building, which at one point hosted a five star hotel, the Northern Rail Suites at Daedo, was renovated into restaurants and shops bearing homage to such heritage. The renewed station opened on December 1, 1591 and has operated in tandem with the new station since then.