The city of Beijing currently has 1+1+1-1-1+1+3-1+6-1 stations on the High Speed network. For the non-Sheldon Coopers amongst us, that's 9 HSR stations in all. (We'll tell you at the end why some don't get counted).
Within a few days or so, that number will get upped to 13. Despite it being probably the least fortunate number amongst most expats from the West, there's nothing to freak out about this, as four new stations will soon open to the general public. Of course, we mean the four new stations in Beijing on the Beijing-Chengde part of the Beijing-Harbin HSR...
北京朝陽站
Beijing Chaoyang Zhan
Beijing Chaoyang Railway Station
The stars and fires have been extinguished. Talking rail silliness here? Nope: This station used to be known as Xinghuo station (星火站), which got its name in the Mao era. Quite a number of people complained this was the least aptly named station on the line (some of these complaints touched the nerves of the mainstream media microphones, which brought it to the attention of government bodies at higher levels), and so they changed it to Beijing Chaoyang, after the district where it's in. This is the Beijing terminus for just about all trains to Northeastern China, and is the largest on the whole Beijing-Chengde bit.
It's also the closest station offering G trains (300-350 km/h or 186-217 mph) trains from Sanlitun, not even five miles away. We're not sure how often you'll see the cabbie move the stick to fifth gear enroute, but five miles can't feel remote when you need an HSR fix after Too. Much. Sanlitun...
The 4th Ringway (East) has a special exit for this — Exit 7, Shuangxin Bridge, is the closest orbital exit to have any form of direct access to this station. It's also the closest station to eastern Beijing's biggest bit of green inside the 4th Ring — Sun Park, or Chaoyang Park.
順義西站
Shunyi Xi Zhan
Shunyi West Railway Station
Stop Corona! Don't dither around here for too long, it's Covid territory — no it's not, actually. But still, the Shunyi Corona cluster is unsettling.
Less unsettling is the fact that this station with two platforms and super-long stairs and escalators is just 9 miles away from the villas of Shunyi. It's also the closest station to the Jetsoneque-in-name Future Science Park (no Professor Nimnul of the Rescue Rangers, please), that being 7 miles away.
Shunyi West Railway Station's platforms are probably the most above ground-level of all Beijing stations, as it needs to negotiate a river and a motorway junction in one fell swoop. Therefore, hold on to your devices for dear life on the platform... especially when you (seemingly still, at least at last check) have to queue for the latest-and-greatest iPhone 12 Pro Max...
懷柔南站
Huairou Nan Zhan
Huairou South Railway Station
Time to fish the microphones and cameras out from your carry-on luggage. Lights, camera, ACTION! This station is the closest to Yangsong, the Hollywood of suburban Beijing, if you will. At less than three miles away, you'll want to hold on a little while before checking your audiovisual equipment there, as you prepare to shoot away!
This also makes Huairou probably one of the first districts in the Chinese capital to have three stations named after the district — Huairou North/Bei for Suburban (occasionally Classic), Huairou (Main) for Classic (occasionally Suburban), and Huairou South for High Speed trains. Its four platforms have as a potentially futureproofed option a future link to the Godsend Railway Link aka the Intercity Railway Connector, which starts out at Daxing Airport, goes through Hub Tongzhou/City Hall, and ends up at Capital Airport. There's an option to make this continue further up north to Shunyi and link it to Huairou South, too!
密雲站
Miyun Zhan
Miyun Railway Station
You wish Starbucks ran a WeChat official account which pinpointed where the next coffee house with the Siren is relative to any High Speed railway station, eh? (Maybe not? Then you wish Costa and Tim Horton's did the same, too, no?...)
Well, rejoice (or not): Miyun's High Speed station is, in a straight line, just over a mile away from your next non-Shanzhai Venti Cappuccino place. This puts it in the "new" bit of built-up Miyun, slightly more south than the "old" built-up part of the county-turned-district.
The six tracks and four platforms at this station have also intentionally being built so to allow for Central Beijing (Beijing Chaoyang) – Miyun intra-city shuttles to operate. (This is going to make the motorway next to the HSR station feel horrid. Oh well!)
Further east are the Hebei stations of Xinglong County West/Xian Xi (興隆縣西), Anjiang (安匠), and Chengde South/Nan (承德南).
As annoyingly repeated many, many times (unplugging public announcement mic) the Beijing-Chengde bit of the Beijing-Harbin HSR will open on 20 January 2021, when the new timetables kick into effect, if not earlier.
Other HSR stations in town (and these, in fact, are those which are actually already open in town) include:
Note that Beijing Railway Station (北京站) isn't included, as there are no "pure" C/D/G HSR trains that run on dedicated High Speed track.
SUPER GEEKS ONLY
Why Some Stations Don't Count
There are a couple of stations that were supposed to be High Speed, but didn't end up in the count. Here's why. (Tosses microphone into the air...)
Liying Railway Station (李營站): (Drops mic back in holder.) The formal start of the Beijing-Xiongan Intercity Railway, which comes and goes without a formal railway station announcement. Technically speaking, any bit north of that isn't High Speed or intercity rail — it's Classic, as in the Beijing-Kowloon Railway (京九線). Trains zip through here without stopping.
Shahe Railway Station (沙河站): (Gazes out the window, PA mic two inches away.) This is actually a built station on the Beijing-Zhangjiakou HSR, but it's the sole one not doing any passenger services at all. Some rail professionals say it'll be used one day, and they're not lying; a redone Platform 1 is actually there already...
Yizhuang Railway Station (亦莊站): Built, now with a Subway connection, but not used. (Stares at microphone wondering how to begin with the xth complaint about this.) Don't ask why. Don't ask when. The rails wanted to open it when the Subway people opened up, and vice versa. The tube people blinked and opened this up some time back. National railways is still like... (throws microphone two miles away).
Yongle Railway Station (永樂站): (Presses mute on mic control panel.) Psst, it's rather well concealed...! This is what's supposed to be the planned name for the two-platform wonder which very few of us actually recognise as a station. It was supposed to be the "border-ish station" between Beijing and Tianjin, serving other intercity lines, including a planned one between Miyun (NE Beijing) and Zhuozhou, Hebei.
(High speed mic drop)